massage and the stroke patient

[Curtis T]

My father has a stroke 2 weeks ago. I am trying to find some good info about massage in such an acute seforum.xxxe, he can't barely walk or use his left arm. The arm is worse then the leg. He is in rehab still. Mostly he is in a wheel chair.

Any advice?

 

[CF_]

massage and the stroke patient

I would first consult his therapist before really doing anything, but according to A Massage Therapist's Guide to Pathology by Ruther Werner (4th Edition), most stroke victims have other circulatory problems that could complicate your efforts which is why it's important to work as a team rather than just jumping into massage. Otherwise, as long as you're careful about areas with decreased sensation, massage can improve proprioception and reduce edema and the rate of muscle atrophy which greatly compliments physical/occupational therapy.

In regards to a CVA, acute is considered to be up to 9 hours after the attack so if it's been two weeks and he's in therapy, he's actually in the post-acute seforum.xxxe and the timeline shouldn't affect your work. The only other information I could find on massage is an article from a medical journal done by 3 Australian OTs, found here:

Rowland TJ, Cooke DM, Gustafsson LA. Role of occupational therapy after stroke. Ann Indian Acad Neurol [serial online] 2008 [cited 2011 Apr 10];11:99-107. Available from: http://www.annalsofian.org/text.asp?2008/11/5/99/41723

Good luck!

 

[smexysexkay]

massage and the stroke patient

I strongly recommend consulting with his PT, MD, or other supervising medical professional. If he's been cleared to resume activity, you can probably engage him in some form of bodywork - but first you want to know about any potential concerns that might not be immediately apparent.

My preference would be to engage your father in active bodywork, such as Active Isolated Stretching (and strengthening!) or Muscle Energy Technique. He needs to be worked slowly, gently, and above all frequently. I would also give him plenty of "homework" to practice on his own 2-5 times per day. Frequency and duration of practice in the inital recovery phase are critical to rapid and full recovery. He needs to do most of the work on his affected side, but he should do all movements on his other side as well.

He will experience a lot of frustration at first, but the payoff in long-term results is tremendous if he puts in the time and effort. An intensive approach has been highly developed by Edward Taub, Ph.D., with outstanding results.

For more information, google "Taub stroke rehabilitation" and learn about their approach. The Taub Therapy Clinic site is here: http://www.taubtherapy.com/

I also recommend the book, The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge, MD. Your father might also find some inspiration in it.

Hope that helps!

 

[BobTheBitch]

massage and the stroke patient

My gut tells craniosacral therapy and acupuncture is also very effective. And after he gets the clear Alexander Technique works wonders with stroke recovery.

http://www.alexandertechnique.com/

 

[Lily Pie]

massage and the stroke patient

Thanks for all the suggestions.

He is far from being 'cleared', his progress is slow but there IS progress.

His doctor said it was fine for me to massage his neck/shoulder area so really, that is all I have been doing.

I agree with acupuncture, it is my personal go to. However, if you saw the amount of bills coming in for this stroke, you would understand that paying an acupuncturist to come in is out of the question.

Right now I am just helping give some relief to his neck and upper back. If anyone thinks of anything else, please do share. Even if it isn't useful right now, I will come back to the info as he progresses.

 

[Martika39]

massage and the stroke patient

I agree with acupuncture, it is my personal go to. However, if you saw the amount of bills coming in for this stroke, you would understand that paying an acupuncturist to come in is out of the question.

Try to find one who will barter with you. A friend of mine is an L.Ac. and recently was doing acupuncture on a stroke patient at the hospital. MD's thought it was "strange" but the family wouldn't take the MD's "No".

Friend says it gets the chi moving again and patient is already progressing well. He's in his 80's. She said the sooner the better when it comes to this, so that you don't loose ground.