Changing stroke rehab and research worldwide now.Time is Brain! trillions and trillions of neurons that DIE each day because there are NO effective hyperacute therapies besides tPA(only 12% effective). I have 523 posts on hyperacute therapy, enough for researchers to spend decades proving them out. These are my personal ideas and blog on stroke rehabilitation and stroke research. Do not attempt any of these without checking with your medical provider. Unless you join me in agitating, when you need these therapies they won't be there.

What this blog is for:

My blog is not to help survivors recover, it is to have the 10 million yearly stroke survivors light fires underneath their doctors, stroke hospitals and stroke researchers to get stroke solved. 100% recovery. The stroke medical world is completely failing at that goal, they don't even have it as a goal. Shortly after getting out of the hospital and getting NO information on the process or protocols of stroke rehabilitation and recovery I started searching on the internet and found that no other survivor received useful information. This is an attempt to cover all stroke rehabilitation information that should be readily available to survivors so they can talk with informed knowledge to their medical staff. It lays out what needs to be done to get stroke survivors closer to 100% recovery. It's quite disgusting that this information is not available from every stroke association and doctors group.

Monday, March 14, 2011

inversion of the ankle stroke rehab

I was wrong, the picture is actually inversion not eversion. Told you you shouldn't listen to the blatherings of an idiot.
This is something your PT should be explaining to you. But if you want to learn on your own read this.
Here is a link to an article that explains which muscles are used in inversion.
http://www.massagetoday.com/mpacms/mt/article.php?id=13429
This picture is a great example it came from http://www.rehabanklesprain.com/rehab-ankle-sprain.html?hop=31702 This is my main reason for wearing an AFO, if I wear solid shoes I can prevent inversion, going barefoot does not work. When I went cross-country skiing without an AFO I rolled my foot dozens of times barely missing a sprained ankle. Now I ski with an AFO even though my toes are squashed.


I am having major spasticity with that and an AFO is the common solution. I want to try to strengthen those muscles. Latest research has shown that exercising spastic muscles does NOT increase spasticity, contrary to what your therapists have probably told you. Exercise actually increases your control of the muscles reducing your spasticity.

Remember these are the blatherings of an idiot, talk to your therapist or doctor.

4 comments:

  1. Dean, you're absolutely right about the exercise. Even therapists who have taken the update classes know this.

    I tried to get an AFO. It was a nightmare. In order for me to wear one, I'd have to wear a man's size 12 shoe. No, no, I don't think so. I had another one back in the 1970s. It gave me a presser sore that I'm still fighting.

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  2. I just had a breakthro with this same problem of foot eversion/spasticity - on Saturday/2 days ago i bought an ankle support that wasn't much good, took the elasticated webbing strap off it, wrapped it around my foot in it's splint/AFO ..& that was enough to stabilize my foot make walking that much easier! It doesnt completely prevent my foot turning over but makes significant difference.
    I've got a more flexible splint which i couldn't wear before, but now with this strap wrapped round the middle portion of my foot (where the blue arrow is on the diagram above in the blog post)I can now wear this for walking round the house & on the treadmill at the gym/walking short distances.

    The ankle support i got is "Ankle Support with spirals"
    www.abilitymatters.co.uk/images/brochures/brochure_sports_support.pdf
    tho i would think u could use any elasticated strap with velcro/ or even make one (I used to do lots of sewing with a machine b4 my stroke,it's perfectly do-able)

    With my foot stabilized i don't get cramping up my shin so much & dont have to concentrate so hard to walk.

    One wonders why therapists don't offer straps with the splints?!

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  3. I've also had many problems with pressure sores,blisters, calluses, & esp. sciatica. (...in the end i had 3 AFO's made for me, each with their various problems). I've found much help with various biogel pads, memory foam insoles, etc. All of which the therapists at my hospital couldn't help with or suggest anything(!?!) but found elsewhere. For eg can be found here, (www.abilitymatters.co.uk/images/brochures/brochure_sports_support.pdf) ,or other places(I gave this as just visual reference. I'm in UK)

    My suggestion is - don't give up, keep looking! The internet makes looking so much easier, & there's so many resources than never b4, even a couple of years ago. There's ever increasing options, especially if u are willing to experiment.

    (Not meaning to offend with my enthusiasm/only wanting to offer encouragement!)

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  4. First of all, I hate my AFO. About 18 months post I bailed on my AFO, for good. It's now an expensive door stop. I use a ankle brace I bought online for under $30.00. It has straps and my wife has to help with it, but its do-able in a pinch to put on by myself. I recently bought a ankle brace without laces and entirely made from elastic so I can slip it on when no one's around. I suggest anyone who has problems with their AFO to do an internet search or go to Amazon and punch in the search function "ankle support". And bail on that AFO! For good!

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