For a long time now, massage therapy has been used as a relaxing method to rehabilitate the body after various types of ailments. But can it help with rehabilitation after a stroke? For that, you need first to understand what a stroke is. Your body suffers from a stroke when you suffer from a "brain attack". In this phenomena, an area of your brain is unable to receive proper blood flow. Due to the lack of blood, the oxygen supply to your brain gets cut off, leading to the death of some brain cells. This eventually leads to dis-functioning of the muscles and memory that is controlled by the very area of the brain. To let your body bring back the muscle functioning, massage therapy is given. Let’s take a look at how massage therapy can help with rehabilitation after stroke.
When a person suffers from a stroke, the muscles controlled by that stroke-hit brain area do not function how they usually do. With massage therapy, a person’s proprioception improves. Proprioception is the process which helps the nerves to move the muscles by making them work together. Regular massage can help the stroke patient to regain muscle mobility significantly.
Irregular blood circulation is the reason which leads to stroke and addressing this problem is necessary for the patient to avoid another episode of stroke. Through massage therapy, proper blood circulation is stimulated. Also, the inflammation and swelling that a patient feels after a stroke are also substantially reduced. A massage practitioner can in the later stage provide the patient with a lymphatic drainage therapy to improve the overall blood circulation of the body.
Massage therapy is known to increase the serotonin levels in the body. Serotonin is a hormone which is known to decrease the feeling of depression. Not only that, but it also helps in bringing down the overall anxiety levels as it reduces the risk of heart attack and reoccurrence of a stroke. Another common problem noticed in stroke patients is fatigue. They generally complain about feeling tired and wanting to sleep more. Massage therapy helps to reduce fatigue and increase the levels of energy in a stroke patient.
Stroke not only affects the muscle function controlled by the affected area of the brain but also the memory of the patient. To help regain the memory, reflexology, one of the types of massage therapy, conducted by a massage practitioner is known to show results in bringing back the memory of the patient.
With so many benefits of massage therapy in improving the overall health of a stroke patient, it is a highly recommended method for the rehabilitation after a stroke. Do keep in mind to get the massage therapy from a certified massage practitioner at a trusted Sherwood Park physio center.