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7 Common Questions Answered About Walking with Foot Drop

Foot drop (often known as drop foot) is a condition in which the front part of the foot fails to rise up due to weak or paralyzed muscles. It can happen temporarily or permanently and is a common side effect of medical conditions such as stroke, spinal cord injury, MS, and diabetes to name a few. After diagnosis, patients can expect to understand their symptoms, but sometimes are left with questions about walking with foot drop and what that may look like. Resuming normal activity can be very difficult once you start experiencing symptoms associated with foot drop. Living with foot drop can...

Best Stroke Hand Recovery Exercises Using Pens

Strokes can be one of the leading causes of serious long-term disability. A stroke can lead to a reduction in mobility in more than half of stroke survivors from the age of 65 and older. Loss in hand function, strength, and dexterity can result from a stroke. These conditions and impairments are determined by the location and severity of the stroke. Today, there are many ways to regain hand function after a stroke or neurological injury. Regaining Hand Function Boost your hand function by using everyday objects like pencils, pens, and markers with these best stroke hand recovery exercises. These exercises are for...

Think You Know How Many Reps It Takes to Achieve Neuroplasticity?

The damage inflicted by a stroke is unique to every patient, and so is the recovery process. It is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. The brain consists of 100 billion neurons and 200 trillion synapses. It’s nearly impossible to grasp the complexity and power of this amazing organ! During a stroke, 32,000 neurons die every second, totaling around 1.2 billion for the entire event. That’s a lot, but consider the total neurons in the brain, it’s around one percent. That means 99 percent of the brain is still intact! A variety of exercises and movements can be used to provide cues to the brain. Thanks to...

Is Robotic Therapy Overated?

Robot-assisted therapy has become increasingly popular over the last two decades. In fact, it is so well-known that out of the 1,300 RCT’s in UE stroke recovery, robotic research leads the pack with 112 RCT’s! There is no doubt robotic therapy, in some form or fashion, is here to stay. However is it a must-have or a nice-to-have intervention? Spoiler Alert: looking at the latest research, the jury is still out. What Does the Research Say? The Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery, led by Dr. Robert Teasell, examined the relevant RCT’s pertaining to robotics and have concluded that robot-assisted therapy, although shows promise, demonstrated “MIXED” or...