After your stroke, you probably went through hours of therapy. Now that is over, and you want to continue to make progress in your recovery, but what exercises should you try? According to Steven Keller, MPT, a staff neurophysical therapist at San Diego Rehabilitation Institute at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego CA, there is no perfect recovery program for every stroke survivor; each patient is different. However, a good, low intensity program at home is a good idea. It consists of warming up, stretching, and then doing various functional exercises that break movements into small parts.
Warm Up
Warm up for 10-30 minutes, ideally walking or recumbent biking.
Try a Runner’s Stretch
The muscle that really needs to be stretched is the calf on your weaker side. To stretch it, grab a chair, and a dog leash or beach towel. Place your foot on a coffee table and put the towel or leash behind your weak foot. Bring up your foot so that your toes point towards your face. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat three times. This will stretch your calf and your hamstring.
Simulate A Walk
Sit in a chair and bring up your weaker leg. Bring the toes up first and then your knee. Do three sets of 10 each. Once you have gotten that down, hold onto a sturdy object such as a counter and do it as you stand.
Marching in Place
Hold onto a table with your chair behind you. Do three sets for half a minute. If you have the strength, buy a metronome and march to the beat; this helps improve coordination.
Stand from a Chair
Do three sets of 10 each. This is a good functional exercise and builds the quads.
Keller states that some stroke survivors can do these exercises alone and others may need to have someone nearby to prevent a fall. He also notes that building muscle with weights isn’t usually what you need. What you need to do, he says, is to do correct movements and do them many times, so your muscles and brain learn to work together again.
Workouts for Your Recovery
As you build strength, you may be able to start to do some more intensive exercise routines, under the care and advice of your medical professional. Some of our best home exercise programs include:
