After a stroke, many patients struggle with poor control and strength in the muscles on one side of the body. While the focus of recovery is often on the limbs and facial muscles, without a strong core, extremities and the rest of the body may suffer. With the help of these core exercises for stroke recovery, you can continue to make recovery progress at home on your own.
Reclaim Your Stability With Core Exercises For Stroke Recovery
Beth Thornton and Kathryn Smith, physiotherapists at Physio At Home, promote the importance of core strength in stroke recovery. When the core is strong, the rest of the body benefits. Not to mention, a stroke can impact the core more than many patients realize. When working with stroke victims, Thornton and Smith emphasize the importance of the core in overall recovery and recommends specific core exercises for stroke recovery patients can perform at home to help strengthen the core.
As with any new exercise, stroke victims should talk with their healthcare provider before attempting any of these. If the exercises cause pain, the individual should stop.
Basic Level Core Strength Exercises
Strokes are life-threatening events that can cause irreversible neurological damage, so the recovery period is as much about retraining the brain as it is about strengthening the muscles. In order to regain use of your core muscles, you must keep them active in order to create the brain connections you need to improve after a stroke.
When first starting out, consider practicing these basic level core exercises:
Pelvic Floor Contractions
Pelvic floor contractions, also known as Kegels, can help strengthen the muscles on the pelvic floor, which is the muscular base of the abdomen attached to the pelvis.
First, find the muscles by imagining that you are trying to hold urine or stop from passing gas. Squeeze these muscles by lifting and drawing in, then hold for a count of three. Relax then repeat, gradually increasing the holding time until you can hold for 10 seconds.
If at any point you feel the contraction relaxing, let it relax completely and rest for 10 seconds before contracting again.
Knee Rolling
Lay on your back with your hands resting at your side. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor. Roll your hips so that your knees push to the left, then to the right, then back to center. Repeat several times.
Single Leg Drop-Outs
Lay on the floor with the hips and feet flat with the knees bent. Keep the pelvis still, using the hands to keep it in place if needed. Inhale, and drop the left knee to the left, as far as possible without lifting the pelvis, keeping the knee bent. Exhale, and draw the knee back in. Repeat 5 times per side.
Intermediate Level Core Strength Exercises
Once you begin building some strength, you are ready to progress in your exercise practice. These intermediate exercises will challenge a larger number of core muscles and build even more strength.
Single Leg Bridging
Lay on the exercise mat and place one leg flat on the floor with the knee bent. Place the other leg on an exercise ball. Using the core muscles, lift the pelvis off the mat and slowly lower back down. Repeat for 10 repetitions, then switch legs.
View the rest of the exercises on the Saebo blog here: Reclaim Your Stability With Core Exercises For Stroke Recovery
All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. Reliance on any information provided by the Saebo website is solely at your own risk.
