For active physio exercises at home, I saw the clinical guidelines recommendation of at least one hour a day, five days a week. This is much less than I've been doing. Should I ease back and focus more on quality and rest?

Hi David,

That’s a very good question and one that other stroke survivors also ask. Firstly, it’s fantastic that you are motivated to complete your physiotherapy exercises.

The current clinical guidelines for stroke management recommend as much physical therapy as possible, with a minimum of one hour of active practice per day, five days a week. We also know that the quality of the therapy plays a role: it’s important for therapy to be specific, target the right level and be gradually modified depending on your progress. As everyone’s case is individual, your therapists and specialist will be able to help you determine how much therapy and which tasks to complete.

It’s also important to ensure you are striking a balance between completing exercises and maintaining quality of life by also doing other things you enjoy. Monitoring any complications such as fatigue and spasticity in your case is also important. I strongly recommend speaking with your therapists and neurologist about how to manage the spasticity and to work out the right amount and type of therapy is best for you.

We are in the process of reviewing the clinical guidelines so it will be interesting to see if the evidence has changed.

If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to ask (1800 787 653, Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm AEST).

Wishing you all the best,

Lisa (Speech Pathologist for StrokeLine)