Lifestyle Choices that can affect risk of stroke are: Smoking, Obesity, High Cholesterol, Physical Inactivity, Alcohol Use, and Illegal Drug Usage.
Many of us know a friend, family member, or acquaintance that has had a stroke. Strokes are far too common, in fact stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, over 140,000 people a year die from a stroke according to (strokecenter.org).
What is a Stroke?
A stroke also known as CVA (Cerebral Vascular Accident) has 2 common causes.
1) "Ischemic Stroke"- most common type of stroke, this usually happens with a blockage of the arteries in the brain.
2) "Hemorragic Stroke"-This is less common but this occurs when a blood vessel bursts which leads to blood in the brain tissue.
Signs and Symptoms
Warning Signs- Confusion or Slurred Speech, numbness of the facial muscles or numbness throughout one side of the body, Impaired Vision, Headaches, loss of balance or dizziness, and difficulty with walking.
Symptoms- Symptoms can differ depending on what part of the brain the stroke occurs in. Most common Symptoms are : facial drooping, paralysis on one side of the body, dizziness/vertigo, and impaired speech.
Treatment After a Stroke-
The rehabilitation after a stroke is a slow process and a very calculated process as well. The most important factor of rehab is to allow brain healing and medications to help treat the accident. Rehab is multidisciplinary and involves: doctors, nurses, therapists and even family members.
Typically once discharged from hospital , patients are sent to a rehab to perform treatment focusing on regaining function/movement and strength and relearning movements like : walking, sitting/standing, and other movements of the leg/arms as well as working on speech.
At times, after the rehab has done it's work the patient is sent to an outpatient Physical Therapy facility and more treatment is provided to further improve strength and functional improvement to return to independence.
Risk Factors-
Medical conditions that can raise your risk of stroke include but are not limited to: Previous Stroke, High Blood Pressure, Diabetes and Heart Disease.
Lifestyle Choices that can affect risk of stroke are: Smoking, Obesity, High Colesterol, Physical Inactivity, Alcohol Use, and Illegal Drug Usage.
Genetic/Uncontrollable Risk Factors include: Male sex(higher risk of stroke in Men), Age(The older you are the more at risk you are), and Heredity/Ethnicity.
What to do if someone is having a stroke?
If you are ever around someone, or see a loved one with these symptoms always call 911 as soon as possible for medications to be administered to combat the stroke. Physical Therapy once the stroke has been healed/stopped will help regain ability to walk/function.
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