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I got a few questions I would love someone with.  I had a stoke and then a mini stroke.  I have had alot of physical therapy but my balance is given me alot of problems to the point of falling. One would think with all the therapy I had ypu think I would hhad progress. any advice

 

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I have no advice except  that every stroke is different, but keep on doing your exercises & don't give up , things will improve  in its own time, while you try to reclaim your life back one small change at a time & it all adds up becoming good  new normal again

 

Asha

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Many of us had balance problems in the early days post stroke, most of mine have become minor as I've found ways of overcoming them but there is no expectation that things will ever become 'normal' again so I will continue to take care. 

What sort of exercises are you undertaking? I have a self imposed daily exercise regime and try to walk as much as possible. At this time I cover about 2k a day, most of it being on  a slight incline and that makes things  bit harder!

Have you any loss of right or left hand dexterity?

Deigh

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It might help to work out what the trigger for your balance problem is?  loss of balance and falling can be a combination of many things is it propriaception, is it sight, is it vestiubular, is it strength/control? or a combination of all of them. It's just easier to target your exercises to the main source of the issue. Most of my balance issues come from weak ankle control combined with slowed propriaception (knowledge of the body in space)  So my left ankle is very bad at micro adjustments needed to keep me upright and my brain is slow to work out that adjustments are needed.  Knowing this I have been able to target my exercises accordingly and over time it has improved. As well as the basic ankle strength and control exercise I do a lot of core exercises so that the body is not putting too much challenge on those systems that can't/don't do their job properly any more.

What I can say is that with time and practice and targeted exercises it has improved significantly over the years.

 

Good luck

-Heather

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After my surgery and subsequent stroking, with the inpatient/outpatient therapy I eventually learned to walk again and completed their hospital obstacle courses. However, when returning home my routine changed dramatically having to navigate in and around the home. My difficulties came navigating uneven surfaced like steps, up and over obstacles, and unexpected terrain changes ie; rocks, wet surfaces, and even sand on the sidewalks. I had a couple of good tumbles that helped me realize that I needed to look out for potential fall hazards and if possible develop a form of work-around to help me get around or over those type obstacles. Which btw are well fixed in and around my home. 

 

Now in a totally new environment I just try to remember what I learned navigating to try and prevent further upsets with balance issues. After all, when your in town or outside of your home things can be challenging. I'm 13yrs post stroke and from the surgery/stroke I came away with very troublesome balance issues, as many may. I've just developed my own personal safeguards to navigate the difficult areas, and that just came from years of experience and a few good tumbles. I've learned some minor limitations and even have exceeded other self imposed limitations just by will and determination. I cannot imagine others here that in some form or another haven't developed some useful work-around to help navigate certain obstacles, or just everyday tasks that have required some kind of intervention to make a task easier.

 

For me, it's been a lot of time, experience, and thinking and planning ahead to navigate to everyday obstacles. As for the unknowns outside the home in other environments, I use my "stroke radar" to draw from those experiences and manage the best I can. I've been caught by the unexpected of course, and may have a mishap, but it's important to learn and adjust yourself going forward. Good luck, I wish you well. Lots of great advice here.

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In further thinking I would be remiss if I also didn't mention foot drop. Throughout my 13yrs of navigating through different environments, in the earlier years following my stroke, I worked hard and desperately to get into condition to get released by my PT to return to work full time. I was still very healthy and strong enough to get into shape that would qualify me to return. However since maybe due to age and general health decline my body still functional but over time weakening, I developed a slight left foot drop. It's not constant but often rears it's head. In these situations I'm personally conscious that even in my home walking through a sunken audio room and up just a small step, my left foot would catch me unexpectedly and instigate a fall. Being aware of this "foot drop" condition that can rear it's ugly head unconsciously, I take precaution in navigating the step to assure success without a mishap. My balance these days is ok, provided I do my homework and stay vigilant of potential hazards. 

 

I'm more than confident that there are many rehab techniques and strengthening exercises that will help you in the long term to stabilize your balance and improve your gait. Things will get better and improve for you through training and rehab. It is a life journey, and takes time, you'll get there. A place where you feel comfortable. Mistakes and the unexpected will still occur once in awhile. Share those experiences here, perhaps we've been there and can offer help or a viable solution that can help you get back on track.

 

 

Additionally, I still use my walking aids (walker, canes, chairs, etc) when warranted because I still have those days where my body doesn't seem to do what I want it to do so, no shame on using a tool to help:2thumbs:

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Foot drop and tiredness are the problems with my balance. 

 

Also those moments where I 'forget' my leg doesn't work properly and over do a stretch or similar. 

 

💚👑

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I wish I had good advice for this question. Balance for me is an every day issue due to where in my brain the stroke was (cerebellum). :holy-moly:I could tell you some doozies of falling stories. Many of which I can look back now and see the humor in them because i didn't get hurt (except for my pride and anxiety) that were anything but funny when it happened. I took a lot of PT for balance. Months. I suppose some things I can think of is clear your space/path in your home and remove any tripping hazards i.e. area rugs, floor decor, cat toys (or any toys :big-grin:), just stuff that might jump out at you. Get up slowly and use things you can grab to help balance once upright (a cane, a table, the chair arm, the wall, etc). When you feel out of balance try to focus on something not moving. Take plenty of breaks (sit down, breathe deep, snuggle in a tight blanket or those weighted blankets). Make sure you have plenty of light (dim lights or sunrise or sundown can bring on the dizzies). I have to visually look at the path my feet are taking because just a pebble can knock me down. So I do look ahead for a bit while standing still but watch my path as I walk. One thing that helped me in PT was learning how to maneuver my body to catch myself (my body just didn't naturally do this after my stroke... when i was going down I was going down hard no brakes). The farther away from the stroke the more likely your balance will improve most of the time. I wish you the very best and be careful. 🙂

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  • 1 month later...

Good advice Tracy.

 

I always feel like The Terminator.

 

You know, everywhere he goes, he scans the room?

 

I'm looking for the best spot to sit for easy access, stairs, carpet lips, kids!

 

Making the right choices is a big help.

 

💚👑

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