A Summary Guide To What Are Stroke Symptoms and The Common Pathways From Hospital To Home
Before we dive into what are stroke symptoms a quick announcement:
You should consult your local Medical Officer if you suspect you’re experiencing any of the stroke symptoms mentioned in this article.
It’s worth bearing in mind..
Stroke is the second biggest killer and the largest single cause of disability worldwide, says the Stroke Foundation.
At OTB our position is simple.
The more we can learn about stroke, especially prevention and knowing what are stroke symptoms as well as the community based rehab support and treatment options the better.
Mechanisms: What Are Stroke Symptoms
The event triggering the stroke symptoms may be
Ischaemic: A clot in a blood vessel supplying the brain. Following this event a cerebral infarct (an area of dead necrotic) tissues may occur in the area which is supplied by the blocked artery. If the blood flow is not restored within a short period of time then cellular death occurs.
Haemorrhagic: An artery ruptures and a bleed occurs within the brain
When a stroke strikes, it attacks up to 1.9 million brain cells per minute according to historical research by Saver (2006).
And now one is spared it’s impact with almost 25% of people experiencing a stroke for the first time are under the age of 54 years of age.
What Are Early Stroke Signs and Symptoms
At the time of the stroke event a person will present with their own stroke signs, however, with the masses of data collated over the years identifying most stroke symptoms have become clearer to see. Specifically, what are the stroke symptoms?
F.A.S.T
It’s the acronym to help people quickly detect the likelihood of a stroke by noting the following symptoms
F- Face: Changes in facial symmetry, one side more active than the other?
A- Arm: Is there a noted change in movement or sensation?
S- Speech: Is there a change to a person’s speech?
T- Time: If you see the signs – act quickly.
We recently wrote about FAST and of the emerging evidence to increase this to BE FAST
B- Balance: Is there a noted change to a person’s balance?
E- Eyes: Trouble with their vision?
What Are Stroke Symptoms In Early Days of Hospital
Classifying the types of Ischaemic Strokes
Within the ED or during an initial neurologist consultation you may hear terms such as TACI, PACI, Lacunar or LACI and POC.
These four classifications help assess the likely extent of the stroke, the area of the brain which has been affected, prognosis as well as the underlying cause of the stroke.
This is known as the Bamford or Oxford Classification System.
There are also a number of other tools like the stroke scale assessment such as the NIH Stroke Scale. A scale to measure the severity of a stroke. The scale’s 11 items describes the impairment arising from the stroke.
What your OT and allied health team will likely observe is the Functional Impairment, how does the stroke affect your ability to walk, move in bed, off bed and chairs, bathing, dressing, speaking, swallowing, planning and other cognitive skills, continence perception and vision for example.
Beyond that, your stroke rehab should also focus on your big goals like work, driving, living at home, doing the “stuff” that’s important to you as well. It’s often missed at the hospital as it’s more about survival.
What Are The Stroke Symptoms In The Rehab Setting (weeks to months after stroke)
The hospital team will commonly monitor a person’s recovery steps to help determine the path from hospital.
It needs to be said a person’s rehab path is often dependent on the stroke survivor’s recovery performance.
The rehab team is monitoring and challenging the recovery path to support ongoing development and improvement of function.
Sadly, in the hospital setting most stroke survivors rarely obtain the intensity and exposure to rehab which is required to optimise recovery. The Clinical Guidelines for Stroke Management 2010 suggest
Physio and Occupational Therapy should be provided as possible with a minimum of one hour active practice per day at least five days a week
It appears on average most people will experience 30% of the recommended rehabilitation dose.
Mounting evidence suggests that a far greater volume(duration) and intensity of rehab is required. Not only that the programs need to be progressive.
So no doubt, in the hospital environment, this can be a challenging and frustrating time for survivors and their families.
Are you happy with your stroke recovery plan?
Here’s how you can get direction and take control of your stroke recovery. To make a start and build your Stroke Recovery Plan today – CLICK HERE –
With the initial shock of the stroke passing, and the trauma of the stroke very visible, most people now look for a positive direction in their recovery.
We’ve discussed long term stroke recovery in another article. In this article we explore the question of after rehab, now what?. If you’re looking to see if we can help you, this article on Brisbane occupational therapy stroke services explains more.
Bamford JM (2000). “The role of the clinical examination in the subclassification of stroke”. Cerebrovasc. Dis. 10 Suppl 4: 2–4. doi:10.1159/000047582. PMID11070389
The Occupational Therapy Blog is a news and health promotion initiative. It by no means aims to be a source of medical or therapeutic advice. We enjoy sharing information and will attempt to curate it as best we can. You’d appreciate we like to lighten our blog articles which often tackles very serious and personal issues. It’s our way of sharing. The information contained on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, or intervention. Always seek the advice of your GP or qualified therapist with any questions you may have regarding your personal situation. Never substitute or delay seeking professional advice because of information you’ve read on this website.
