Excerise

Hi Adam, I am nearly 4 years post stroke and do an hour's clinical pilate session each week. I often slepp for anything upto 2 hours following the class, .and this is floor based pilates so it is gentle,and will be wiped out for the rest of the day and sometimes for part of the next day. I find that when new exercises are intoduced or we do somehting we haven't done for a while the fatigue is worse hwich to me makes sense because I think my brain is getting more of a work out as it tries to put everything together. Have you had any massages for the stiffness? I find an osteopath helps me as they seem to realign me when things are a bit out of whack from compensating for a weakness in a particular area. 

Hi  Toni. I realy agree with the everytimg you do something new or relarn someting it wipes you out. I wil go and have a good massage. I think that might help as the yoga has muscles moving that I have not streched in Years.  Have trouble putting thins together. Feel better with the advice and knowing that it is normal for these things to happen,

Still learning to controll the stroke and not have it control me. My Mother told me that and it has taken a whie to understand

Adam

Hi Adam,

It’s great to hear you’re including yoga in your exercise program. Yoga is a great form of exercise and really beneficial for both body and mind.  

Anything that is challenging your brain can be very fatiguing, particularly early on. It’s likely that your brain is being stimulated and forming new pathways through yoga as you learn new ways of moving your body. This aspect of challenging your brain is an important part of recovery, but try not to overdo it. It often takes some time to work out the balance so that fatigue doesn’t impact on you too greatly.

You can also feel quite stiff when you start new exercises so it’s important to go gently and avoid pushing yourself. Ease into things gradually and build up over time. Often it’s tricky to remember this as you might feel great when you’re exercising, but then feel the effects later on.

If you find the fatigue and stiffness continues to be a big issue, is worsening, or you are concerned, I’d recommend having a chat to your GP.

Feel free to contact us on StrokeLine if you’d like to speak with one of our health professionals (phone 1800 787 653 – 9am-5pm Mon-Fri AEST).

Best wishes,

Katherine (StrokeLine)