Massage with strokes at home. Rehabilitation after a stroke

Stroke is a serious pathology, which almost always causes damage to the motor centers. To restore the functionality of the body will help massage. When strokes begin rehabilitation specialists recommend as early as possible. At first, the massage should be carried out by an experienced specialist.

The purposes of massage

Acute disturbance of cerebral circulation occurs mainly in patients with vascular pathology, diabetes mellitus, and history of arterial hypertension. Almost always, stroke causes paresis - a violation of the motor activity of the right or left side of the body. It is possible to lift even heavy patients to the feet.

Patients with stroke start preparing for the rehabilitation period already on the 3rd-6th day after the attack (in the absence of contraindications). Massage after a stroke allows:

• Improve the work of internal organs;
• Relax the spasmed muscles;
• Reduce the severity of the pain syndrome;
• To regulate blood circulation in the paralyzed part of the body;
• Prevent the formation of bedsores.

In a hospital, medical massage with strokes is performed only by a specialist, given the severity of the patient's condition. In the future, one of the relatives of a patient can master a special technique and perform a massage at home.

General recommendations

Depending on the type of stroke, the timing of the beginning of the massage therapy will be different. With ischemic type, you can start the procedure on the 2nd-3rd day. If the patient has hemorrhagic stroke, recovery should be started on the 6th-7th day. The duration of the first procedures should not exceed 5 minutes. Before the beginning of the massage the specialist should receive the recommendations of the attending physician regarding the specific patient.

Each session should begin with an assessment of the patient's state change and reaction. The specialist pays attention to dynamics, mobility, tonus of the muscular system, atrophy. This allows you to choose the best massage technique at this stage.

Massage sessions allow you to influence not only the physical, but also the psychological state of the patient. It is important for the patient to receive support from others in order to overcome the disease more quickly. When performing massage, the patient should be in the supine position on the back. It is strictly forbidden to turn it on the stomach at the first sessions!

Where to begin?

Massage with strokes begins with the warming up of the body. In this case, the hands of the specialist should also be warm. This will avoid the appearance of hyperkinetic reflexes in the paralyzed limbs. It is forbidden to tap, press or rub the massaged parts of the body. Special exercises aimed at relaxation begin to be carried out on a healthy part of the body, gradually shifting to the affected one.

Experts recommend that movement only along the course of the blood flow. To begin to massage hands it is necessary with brushes and gradually to move to shoulders. From the chest, the specialist gradually moves to the massaging of the shoulders, then the armpits. The back begins to work from the shoulders, turning to the lower back.

Proper movements should not bring painful feelings to the patient. The appearance of pain indicates a too intense massage. Each reception must be repeated at least three times. With a daily massage, the symptoms of the ailment will begin to recede fairly quickly. The length of the recovery period after a stroke will depend on the severity of the brain damage. If the medical help was provided on time and rehabilitation began in the first days after the attack, the chances of returning to the old life are significantly increased.

Massage rules

Loss of speech and vision, paresis of limbs, disruption of the internal organs - severe complications, to which the stroke leads. Recovery after a seizure is not only in intensive drug therapy, but also in physical effects. A huge benefit is massage. Correctly selected technique allows to accelerate the process of restoring motor activity.

It is important to follow the rules of massage and monitor the patient's condition. To perform the procedure, it is necessary that the body is in the correct position: the upper part of the trunk should be slightly higher than the lower one. The patient may be in bed or on a massage table. Manipulation can be made only a few hours after eating.

Massage begins to do with the upper body. The specialist must work the neck muscles. Massaging the hands, back and legs is necessary from the center to the periphery to avoid increasing blood pressure. If the patient does not suffer from high blood pressure, massage is performed according to a standard procedure - from the limbs to the center.

What can not be done?

The main goal of therapeutic massage is to regulate blood circulation and eliminate pain syndrome in the paralyzed part of the body. Therefore, tapping and intensive grinding of paralyzed parts of the body should be avoided. It is also forbidden to do squeezing exercises with the use of weights. It is unacceptable to make strokes with the edge of the palm.

Squeezing movements can be performed in a minimum amount so as not to provoke a pressure increase in the vessels. It is forbidden to lay the patient on the paralyzed side or on the stomach at the first time after an attack.

Contraindications to massage

Most patients after the stroke are prescribed massage sessions. However, there are some contraindications to this type of rehabilitation. First of all, it concerns the period of exacerbation or acute condition. Therefore, in a hospital environment, a massage can be performed only by a specialist, having consulted the patient's doctor in advance.

Contraindication to performing manipulations is elevated body temperature, headache or heart pain, disruption of internal organs, coma, trouble breathing.

Auxiliary means

During massage it is important not to allow body rubbing. To do this, you can use special tools - ointments, massage oils, which will provide slip and help reduce the irritation of the massaged areas.

Ointments may only be used as directed by the doctor in charge. It can be a means to reduce the swelling of paralyzed parts of the body, the prevention of decubitus and diaper rash.

As auxiliary devices, massage oil is most often used . It helps to significantly reduce friction during the procedure.

Massage after a stroke at home

Massage - a traditional method of recovery, which is used at any stage of the disease. However, the technique should differ from the classical massage. At first, you can not perform intensive actions, because the patient does not have high muscle tone (hemiplegia).

Massage at home can be performed by both the patient's relatives and a qualified specialist. The cost of services last varies from 350 to 900 rubles per session. Usually a masseur-rehabilitologist is hired for the first course of procedures.

Massage begins with special exercises, allowing to achieve relaxation of the muscle tissue in the affected areas. The limbs should be in a natural position to reduce muscle contracture.

The expressed positive effect of the procedure can be obtained only if the patient's skin is heated beforehand. For this purpose, you can use a warmer (with caution). Rehabilitologists recommend to do massage after hygienic procedures. Combining massage movements is necessary with passive, and then with active exercises.

Hand massage

Doctors say that the early start of rehabilitation allows you to quickly restore lost motor functions. In this case, resuscitation should be provided in time. Medication should be initiated within the first hours after the attack. At the first stages of massage with strokes are carried out only under the control of a neurologist. The doctor determines the time of the procedure and the intensity.

To restore the function of the affected hands, massages are performed daily. The course of physiotherapy - 15-20 sessions. If the patient has had an ischemic stroke, the massage of the arm and other affected parts of the body is already shown on the second day. Physiotherapy can be started when the patient is lying down. As you recover, the hands are massaged in a sitting position. At the same time, the paralyzed hand must be on the table.

Particular attention is paid to the palm, which must be returned and motor, and tactile functions. Massage of the forearm begins from the outside. Smooth movements rehabilitator moves to the inside. Massaging the triceps start from the elbow joint, gradually shifting to the shoulder. Performing a massage at home may be the patient's relatives after mastering the technique.

Basic techniques

Start to massage your hand with stroking. The masseur gently slides his hand over the patient's skin. This allows you to relax the muscle tissue and enhance metabolic processes. Deep stroking can improve blood circulation in the paralyzed area.

Rubbing involves mixing the patient's skin in different directions. Should be formed skin folds. The movements of the masseuse may be rectilinear, circular or zigzag.

To increase the tone of the muscle fibers allows kneading. During the reception, the muscle is grasped, raised (pulled up) and squeezed. Such manipulations provide an effect on the deep muscles.

To relax the muscles perform such a method as vibration. Light vibrational movements, shaking are carried out for 7-10 seconds.

Foot massage after a stroke

Before you begin to massage the lower extremities, you need to reduce the excitability of spinal motor cells. To do this, they begin to affect the near-vertebral zones of the thoracic region (the lower part). Then proceed to massage the feet.

To work the lower limbs is necessary from a healthy thigh. For a paralyzed leg, massage begins with stroking and slight rubbing with the fingertips. The movements are performed from the popliteal fossa, gradually moving to the gluteal fold.

The drumstick is massaged more intensively. Direction of movement - from the ankle to the knee (with the massaging of the front part). To remove the tone from the posterior surface of the tibia, it is necessary to move from the calcaneus to the popliteal fossa. For the foot it is shown to perform strokes, easy rubbing and kneading.