Specialist in Katy Shares Insight on Role of Occupational Therapy in Stroke Rehabilitation
Life can change drastically after experiencing a stroke, and activities that used to be routine can all of a sudden feel like insurmountable obstacles. Stroke survivors may find that simple habits like eating, getting dressed, brushing their teeth, or going to the grocery store can feel like monumental feats.
The good news is that occupational therapists at Spero Rehab can help stroke survivors dramatically improve motor control, brain function, and independence, promoting a greater degree of recovery in the long term.
Why See an Occupational Therapist After a Stroke
An occupational therapist is an integral part of a healthcare recovery team that can help address the multitude of challenges one can face after a stroke, including decreased mobility, muscle weakness, changes in vision, cognitive decline, sleep disruption, emotional lows, and bad posture. These issues, particularly bad posture, can significantly impact recovery and overall well-being.
By collaborating with other health professional services, such as physical therapy in Katy, TX, and speech therapists, occupational therapists can help stroke survivors more quickly and wholly return to work or resume their beloved activities of daily living.
How an Occupational Therapist Can Help in Stroke Rehabilitation
One of the first steps in occupational therapy is meeting with the patient to determine what their goals are. Often, it’s being able to do a habit or activity that they used to do before having a stroke. For example, a stroke survivor might want to return to a hobby like running, dancing, gardening, or playing with their grandkids.
Three potential occupational therapy approaches include the following:
- Rehabilitative Occupational Therapy: Restoring function with custom exercises and rehabilitation techniques to restore and rebuild neural pathways
- Adaptive/Compensatory Occupational Therapy: Adapting to life by finding new ways of doing things
- Therapeutic Activity Occupational Therapy: Creating custom activities relevant to one’s lifestyle
Based on the goals of the patient and the severity of the stroke damage, an occupational therapist will create a custom program to facilitate maximum recovery as quickly as possible.
About Spero Rehab in Katy, TX
The word “Spero” is Latin for hope, and Spero Rehab is all about giving people hope, no matter what circumstances or challenges they’re facing. Spero Rehab takes a holistic, individualized approach to health care that blends innovative therapies and technologies with proven techniques and modalities performed by some of the best therapists in the country.
To learn more about Spero Rehab, call the Katy office at 281-395-9090 or request an appointment.
