According to the American Heart Association, stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability in the United States. Often, rehabilitation is limited to acute-phase and short-term care, which drops off sharply once the patient has stabilized, with progressive functional decline following. Recent evidence finds that exercise offers beneficial effects for regaining lost function well after damage from stroke, according to Science Daily. Specific exercises may help rewire the brain following stroke.
Physical Exercise
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University had patients whose stroke occurred an average of four years earlier exercise on a treadmill, with assistance as needed, and found improved brain function in vital brain stem areas that control walking. The same study had a group do stretching exercises with the help of a physical therapist, and they found far less brain benefit in this group. Additionally, aerobic exercise improves cardiovascular health, decreasing the chance for future strokes.
Psychologist Edward Taub of the University of Alabama at Birmingham conducts an intensive two-week physical training program called Constraint Induced Movement Therapy. This therapy requires stroke patients to selectively use their affected limbs while excluding the unaffected ones. Results show that significant rewiring, known as cortical reorganization, of damaged areas of the brain occurs with impressive results. Professional musicians with stroke-impaired arms have returned to work after this therapy.
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