Physical Therapy at Home After Stroke
What to Expect
Medically reviewed by Amy Kwan, PT
If you have had a stroke, also known as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), then you may benefit from physical therapy to help you regain maximal functional mobility. Physical therapy may take place in a hospital or an outpatient clinic, but another option is to have PT in your home, within your own comfortable, familiar environment.
Understanding what PT is and how the service is delivered at home can help you make informed healthcare decisions after a stroke.
What Is a Stroke?
A stroke is an injury that is caused when an area of your brain fails to get adequate blood supply. This may happen for various reasons. The two most common types of stroke include:
Ischemic stroke: This type of stroke occurs when a blood vessel in your brain becomes blocked by a clot. The clot prevents blood from getting to a certain area of your brain and causes a stroke.
Hemorrhagic stroke: This type of stroke occurs when a weakened blood vessel ruptures and prevents blood from getting to your brain.
Another type of cerebral ischemia is called a transient ischemic attack (TIA). This occurs as the result of a temporary mini clot that prevents blood from getting to your brain. A TIA is often called a mini-stroke and should be considered a warning sign of a possible major stroke, as TIA is associated with an increased risk of stroke in the future.
Symptoms of Stroke
There are many different symptoms of a stroke. Since the injury occurs to your brain, which is the body's headquarters, you may experience a variety of signs and symptoms if you have a stroke. Common ones may include:
Sudden onset of numbness or weakness in your face, arm, or leg, which typically occurs on one side of the body
Sudden onset of double vision or trouble seeing
Sudden onset of confusion or difficulty speaking
Difficulty walking, dizziness, or loss of coordination and balance
Sudden onset of a severe headache
Keep in mind that a stroke is a brain injury, so any symptom that signals a change in your neurological status should be taken seriously.
Takeaway
If you suspect you are having a stroke, you should go to the hospital right away. It is essential that you get the right care immediately to have the best possible outcome.
Healthcare After Stroke
If you have a stroke, you will likely move through various healthcare settings as you progress with your healing. These settings may include:
Acute care hospital
Rehabilitation hospital
At home
Outpatient clinic
Home care services after a stroke may include nursing care, speech language pathology therapy (SLP), occupational therapy (OT), and physical therapy (PT).
Initiating PT Services at Home
When you leave the hospital or rehab center after getting care for a stroke, there will likely be a professional who can help you navigate the care you receive upon going home. They can help you set up home care physical therapy services. Typically the healthcare provider who discharges you from the hospital will order home-care physical therapy.
If no one has helped you initiate PT services at home after your stroke, you may have to seek out and contact your local visiting nurse association. They should be able to help you set up a physical therapy evaluation at home.
Not everyone who has a stroke qualifies for home physical therapy. For you to qualify, your healthcare provider may need to attest that leaving the house for health care would be considerably burdensome or dangerous.
Your current functional mobility status and difficulty with moving may make travel from your home impossible. In that case, home-care physical therapy services after a stroke will likely be authorized by your health insurance plan.
Evaluation at Home After a Stroke
Your first session with a physical therapist at home after a stroke will be an initial evaluation. During this session, your PT will meet with you at your home and determine your current functional status.
Your PT will discuss with you and your family the nature of your injury, the course of care you have received so far, and your previous level of function and mobility. A review of your past medical history will be performed.
The home-care physical therapist will likely perform various tests. These may include:
Strength
Transfer ability (from a bed to a chair or from a chair to standing)
Walking ability
Assistive device use
Managing stairs
Balance and safety assessment
Your physical therapist will use the information about your impairments and current functional status to develop an appropriate plan of care for rehab. They will work with you (and your family) to develop goals of physical therapy.
These goals may be to improve mobility, increase strength, and improve the way you are able to move about your house. The overall goal of physical therapy at home after a stroke is to help you regain maximal functional mobility so you can return to your previous level of activity.
Physical Therapy Treatment at Home After a Stroke
Physical therapy treatment at home after a stroke will be based on the results of your initial evaluation. The treatment you receive should be specific to your needs. Physical therapy treatments at home after a stroke may include various components.
Gait Training
Learning to walk again after a stroke is one of the main goals of home PT after a stroke. Your physical therapist will work with you to improve how you are able to walk and move around your home. They will also determine the correct assistive device to use. This may be a walker, quad cane, Canadian crutches, or a standard cane. Your PT can also ensure the assistive device is properly sized.
Specific gait exercises may also be done. High stepping, sideways stepping, and backward steps may be done to practice moving in different directions. Exercises to work on lower extremity coordination may also be done.
Your PT will also teach you to climb and descend stairs at home after a stroke. If one of your legs is weak or affected by your stroke, you may have to alter the way you manage stairs. In general, the rule is to use your strong leg to step up the stairs and lead with your weak leg to descend stairs. Your PT will likely say, "Up with the good, down with the bad" to help you remember this.
Clinical Guidelines for Post-Stroke Gait Training
In joint clinical guidelines for recovery after a stroke, the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association strongly recommend intensive, repetitive, mobility-task training for all individuals with gait limitations after a stroke. The groups also recommend use of ankle-foot orthosis after stroke for people with remediable gait impairments (e.g., foot drop) to improve mobility.
Bed Mobility Training
You may be having difficulty moving around in bed after a stroke, and your PT may work on bed mobility in your home. This may include various movements in bed such as:
Rolling
Scooting
Sitting up
Special exercises may be done to help improve your overall bed mobility. Bridges and straight leg raises may help improve hip strength, and upper extremity range of motion exercises can help you use your shoulders more effectively to move around in bed.
Transfer Training
Transferring is the ability to move from one chair or surface to another. Muscle spasms, weakness, or lack of coordination may make transferring difficult after a stroke. Your home-care physical therapist may work with you to improve your ability to transfer. The types of transfers done may include:
Sit to stand and stand to sit
Chair to bed and bed to chair
Chair to another chair
Sometimes it is necessary to use a slide board to help transfer from one surface to another. Your PT will bring that to your home to practice using it. If it is effective for helping you safely transfer, your PT can help you obtain one for permanent use at home.
Exercise
Exercise should be a main component of PT at home after a stroke. Exercise can help improve range of motion, strength, coordination, and balance. Your PT may perform exercises during your home-care sessions. They may also prescribe a home exercise program for you to do independently. Common exercises done at home after a stroke may include:
Straight leg raises: These exercises improve hip strength and function. To perform straight leg raises, lie on your back and slowly lift one leg up off the bed about 12 inches. Hold this position for a few seconds, and then slowly lower. Repeat 10 times.
Bridges: Bridges can improve hip strength and help with bed mobility. To perform a bridge, lie on your back and bend both knees with your feet flat on the bed. Lift your bottom up in the air about 6 inches, and then slowly lower. Repeat 10 times.
Supine toe taps: Lie on your back with your knees bent. Tighten your abdominals and slowly lift one leg up. Then lower slowly and tap your toe on the bed. Repeat 10 times for each leg.
Ankle pumps: This exercise is important to do to help keep blood flowing from your legs to your heart. It may help to decrease the chance of a blood clot. To perform this, simply lie in bed and pump your ankles up and down about 15 times. This can also be done in a seated position.
Seated leg extensions: Sit upright in a chair and slowly straighten one leg as far as possible. Repeat 10 to 15 repetitions on each leg.
Seated marching: Sit in a chair and slowly march in place. Repeat for 10 to 15 marches on each leg.
Standing balance exercises: While holding onto a stable object like a kitchen counter, simply lift one leg up and hold it for 10 seconds. Repeat for the other leg. (This exercise should only be done under the close supervision of your PT to maintain safety.)
Upper extremity range of motion exercises: Often, after a stroke, your shoulder or shoulders may become stiff or weak. To improve arm mobility, simply lie in bed and clasp your hands together. Bring both arms up overhead as far as possible. Lower back down slowly and repeat for 10 to 15 repetitions.
Weight-bearing lean: This exercise is good practice for improving your ability to bear weight through your arm or arms. To do this, simply stand at a kitchen counter and lean onto your outstretched arm and hand. Hold for a few seconds and then rock to the other arm. This can also be done in a sitting position on a bed by placing your hand on the bed to your side and leaning onto it.
Takeaway
Keep in mind that not every exercise is for every person. You must talk to your physical therapist to ensure that you are doing the right exercises for your specific condition. Do not perform any exercise before speaking with your healthcare provider.
Coordination Training
Your PT may also work with you to help improve overall coordination during your home-care rehab sessions after a stroke. They may perform slow movements with targeted stepping and reaching to improve how you are able to move your body. Some of these motions may be passive, in which your PT will move your body for you. Other motions are active, where you use your muscles to move in coordinated ways to improve overall functional mobility.
Orthotics Use
After a stroke, you may require specific orthotics and braces to help you move better. These may include:
Knee-ankle-foot orthosis (KAFO)
Wrist bracing and hand positioning orthosis
The device used should be specific to your needs and should be used to help your body move more efficiently or to optimize the position of your body for functional tasks and comfort. Your home-care physical therapist can determine which orthotics are needed and can help you obtain them.
Sometimes after a stroke, you may require services from both physical therapy and occupational therapy (OT). Your therapists may coordinate your care to visit your home at the same time. That way, your OT and PT can work together to improve your mobility and your functional activities of daily living.
Next Steps After Home Physical Therapy
As you progress with rehab at home after a stroke, you hopefully will find that moving around is easier and you can be more independent with functional tasks. Your home-care physical therapist can assess your progress and determine if you are achieving your goals.
Once you have achieved your goals (or it is determined that you have reached the maximal benefit from home PT), your therapist may recommend discontinuing services. They should discuss with you and your healthcare provider a discharge plan. This plan may include an updated home exercise program, follow up care with your healthcare provider, or continued physical therapy in an outpatient clinic.
Since the outcome of a stroke may be variable, it is impossible to tell how long you will require home-care PT and what your specific discharge plan will be. Be sure to work closely with your PT and healthcare provider to understand your specific prognosis.
Summary
A stroke can be a scary injury and may significantly impair your ability to move and function normally. Home-care physical therapy can help improve the way you are able to move around your home and in the community after a stroke. Your home rehab team can work with you and your family to improve safety and mobility. That way, you can quickly return to your normal work and recreational activities.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
