Massage After A Stroke At Home: Hand, Foot, Face Massage, Video

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

Massage after a stroke at home: when and to whom it is shown how to do it right

The content of the article:

The benefits of massage for stroke patients
General principles of therapeutic massage
Rules and purposes of massage after a stroke
Video

Massage after a stroke is considered one of the most effective treatments for the effects of the disease. It helps to restore motor functions and innervation, helps to avoid pressure sores in bedridden patients, and promotes tissue regeneration.

A few days after the stroke, after the patient's condition has stabilized, rehabilitation can begin

Stroke is an acute violation of the blood supply to the brain tissue. Depending on the causes of the development of the disease, two forms are distinguished: hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke. This disease can lead to many serious consequences and complications: impaired speech, cognitive abilities, sensitivity and motor function. With a stroke, the risk of patient disability is high, which can be avoided by rehabilitation measures, including massage, which are most effective in the first months after the attack.

The benefits of massage for stroke patients

Massage improves the indicators of the body's condition and solves several tasks at once, namely:

improves blood supply to the limbs and internal organs, facilitates the supply of nutrients to tissues;
provides more active movement of lymph through the vessels, helps to reduce swelling of the extremities;
enhances the outflow of venous blood and helps to remove toxins from the body;
improves the normal functioning of internal organs;
stimulates the gastrointestinal tract, thereby preventing constipation, which often occurs in patients who are restricted in movement;
provides the prevention of pressure sores with paralysis;
strengthens the joint capsules, restores the elasticity and mobility of the joints;
relieves tension and restores muscle elasticity;
helps to restore the physiological nature of movements and the correctness of their implementation;
reduces pain and improves the general condition of the patient;
reduces the risk of congestive pneumonia;
gives the patient a feeling of peace, restores psychological balance.

Massage is indicated for almost all stroke patients at one stage or another of rehabilitation.

Is it possible to massage after a stroke at home? Is it possible to achieve a good result in rehabilitation after a stroke using restorative massage after a stroke at home? How to do this massage correctly? You need to understand that you cannot do without consulting a qualified specialist. Only a doctor will be able to choose an individual massage technique that will be effective for each patient, take into account his age, concomitant diseases and other characteristics of the body.

Failure to follow the massage technique, the intensity of the impact and the correct preparation of the patient lead to a deterioration in the condition and inhibition of the rehabilitation process. However, there are general principles that are used both in massage after a stroke and in therapeutic massage in general.

General principles of therapeutic massage

The main purpose of the massage is to improve blood circulation, to provide the tone of blood vessels, skin and superficial muscles. Massage at home can be performed by a physician, masseur or one of the relatives after training by a specialist, however, it should be borne in mind that not only technique is important, but also the regularity of the procedures.

The best position of the patient during massage is horizontal. In this case, the muscles are maximally relaxed, the patient feels comfortable. It is advisable to raise the top of the body in relation to the legs, for which you can put a pillow or roller under the patient's neck.

The movements of the masseur's hands should be soft and smooth, intensive rubbing or kneading with great force is not recommended. In the event that the patient's muscles are overstrained, massage movements with light pressure are possible, which are designed to grind, stretch and relax the muscle fibers. You can use a massager.

Massage movements are performed from top to bottom, moving from the back to the lower extremities. As a rule, the session begins with warming up the collar zone, upper back, after which they move to the shoulders, go down the arms to the forearms and then to the hands. From the back they pass to the legs: they start from the hips, then go down.

Before starting the procedure, it is recommended to warm up the damaged part of the body, for which a heating pad or warm blanket is used.

Rules and purposes of massage after a stroke

Muscles after a stroke have varying degrees of tension. Some of them are completely relaxed and in a normal functional state, the other part in tone and hypertonicity. It is impossible not to pay attention to this, since massage procedures are aimed at relaxation and activation of metabolic processes in them.

If there is a stroke on the left side, special attention is paid to the affected right side and vice versa. The duration of the first massage sessions is no more than 5 minutes, they gradually increase to 10 minutes and then to half an hour.

With a stroke on the right side, massage actions begin from the healthy half of the body, that is, from the left. The affected half of the body must first be warmed, especially the limbs. You can use a heating pad or a plastic bottle of warm water or a warm blanket. At the same time, the temperature should be comfortable; overheating should not be allowed. Massage is done using stroking, rubbing movements, without the use of force.

Limb massage can be started as early as 3-4 days after the attack. Execution time - 1-2 minutes for each limb, gradually the duration of the procedure is brought to 7-10 minutes.

When massaging the right and left hands, massage techniques are performed in the direction from the shoulders to the hands. The hand is maximally taken to the side and fixed in the correct position: all joints are unbent, the palm is looking up, the fingers are spread and apart. For fixation, a roller, rolled towel or pillow can be used. The impact should not be pressing and even more painful, rather soft, with little force and without deep kneading, but quite intense. Relax the muscles by rubbing, light kneading and stroking.

Massage hands, moving from top to bottom, from shoulder to hand

The massage is based on the principles of differentiation: those muscles that are tense should be influenced with soft and light rubbing and stroking movements with low intensity, and muscles that are relaxed, atrophic should be massaged with greater speed and pressure.

When massaging a leg, the correct direction of movement is from the hip to the foot. To work out the flexor and extensor muscles, the limb is flexed, giving it a physiological position. You can use a roller or pillow for this.

At the initial stage, the effect is superficial, if the patient does not show complaints and feels well, deeper kneading movements can be used. Hands during the massage are not torn off, making vibrating movements and longitudinal kneading.

In case of paralysis, it is recommended to start any massage with a healthy part of the body, and to warm the affected part with a heating pad. The technique of influencing the muscles differs depending on what tone they are in (relaxed or tense).

Stroke also results in paralysis of the facial muscles on one side, which leads to a distorted face. Facial massage helps to restore the movement of facial muscles and normal facial expression.

There are a large number of textual guides and tips on how to massage yourself after a stroke, however, for better mastering of massage techniques, it will be more effective to get acquainted with a massage video after a stroke, which shows the correct execution of movements used by qualified massage therapists, it is even better to consult a licensed specialist or undergo training with him.