Feelings 15 months post stroke

Hi Jas,

I am sorry to hear that you have had a stroke and are still experiencing some difficulties 15 months on. Everyone's stroke is different and recovery can continue for years after a stroke, but for many people it’s quickest in the first 6 months. See here for fact sheets on muscle spasticity and upper limb management post stroke.

It is great that you have been able to rehabilitate your arm. Recovery does not always go in an upward trend, sometimes there are set backs and life can become busy. If you have stopped your exercises you might notice some weakening. Other things can also cause weakness such as strain. It is best to get it checked out by your physiotherapist or getting a referral to an occupational therapist, via your GP. If this change in your hand is a sudden change it is recommended that you get this seen to as soon as possible by seeing your GP.   

If you are feeling stressed, it might be a good idea to speak to your GP about this. Stress can have a physiological impact on our body, as you have described with the tightness in your neck, shoulders and head and stress experienced over a long period of time can have a negative effect on our health. There are some ways of managing stress here. Your GP can advise you on an appropriate management plan, which can also include a mental health care plan. Seeking a referral to a Physiotherapist is also a great idea. Discuss your tight neck, shoulder muscles with your physiotherapist as they can help to treat these muscles as well. Another suggestion is to discuss ongoing options with your physiotherapist for when your 6 free sessions expire. There are many community exercise groups and other options for ongoing physical rehabilitation/therapy. 

If you would like to discuss any of this further please contact one of our health professionals on StrokeLine (Mon-Fri; 9am-5pm EST). The StrokeLine number is 1800 787 653.

Regards,

Jessica (StrokeLine)

Hi there, I am recovering from a small stroke and am working through the exersises that will re-establish my neural pathways.. Remember that the physical act of exersise strengthens and re-establishes neuron connections tha result in the restoration of normality. So this means you ahve to repeat and repeat hundreds and thousands of times each set of exersises... hand, arm, leg, foot, body raises, walking in a straight line, walking backwards, and many more I am sure you have already discovered. What I do is make a list of the exersises, and go through them systematically one after the other... even after mastering motor skills its important to keep repeating, keep strengthenning and re-afirming the neural pathways that join up the parts of the brain that need to be re-routed. It will happen... normal will slowly re-emerge. first as flashes of normal. and you think... WoW thats almost back to normal... and then you loose it again and keep pushing back to that point wqhere flashes of normal start to feel longer and gradually become the normal you were used to before your stroke. But even when normal is restored, you have to keep practicing to maintain those pathways your brain has newly created. Normal is the condition we all want to get back to... I currently am at about 96 % of what I consider normal... three weeks ago I was about 91%... keep estimating and keep evaluating... but let me tell you it goes down as well as up... some days or two or three days or maybe even a week or ten days can feel like a step backwards... but all of a sudden you jump to a higher level and its onward and upwards. Its not a strigh line upwards, but the trend is upwards... so keep at it, dont stop, dont let depressions get you down and dont let depression stop you or halt your relentless determination to jump to the next level... you will get there and when it happens its suprising and a great feeling. I want to be 100% back to normal and I know that I will get there. Of course I am impatient but I am aware its a process, and so get in to the process, make the progress and it will happen for us all.

Hi Jas,

Here are some more answers for you:

Fiona Macleod Had my stroke in 2013 and have lots of recurring pain in left arm,shoulder and neck. Agree with lots of the suggestions. Specific Physio exercises, regular massages and stretches all help.

Jim N Tina Marshall Its been 20years for tina she still gets stiff do neck stretches and heat wheat

Fiona Morgan Just over 2 years post stroke. Mine was TIA. I still get tightness & weakness in my right forearm(affected side) had a solid 6 months Physio on it last year. Because that is the arm I am constantly using at work (business owner of a cafe) it is more noticeable. Dry needling works wonders for me. Also slather a layer of voltaren, don’t rub in & wrap in glad wrap over night. Next morning rub the rest in. Feels incredible!

Karen Bayly I think a better question is what helps... Meditation, yoga, swimming, medical acupuncture, physio massage, heat packs, bed and rest and as a last resort, medication.

Jake Sims I’ve found that I get less tightness and soreness the more I exercise. If I sit around for 4 weeks and do no exercise I can really notice it. I can actually see it in my eye on my affected side, it seems to get droopy. Exercise is the best thing I’ve found, great for the soul as well!

Katie Dobsa Hi Jas, I’m ten years post stroke, and whenever I stress my affected arm gets so tight and sore, I just try to relax the best I can

Julie Anson My mum had a stroke 2 years ago. Right shoulder mucks up sometimes. I apply a dencorub patch to the area. This helps her greatly.