Rehabilitation After Stroke: Post-Stroke Rehabilitation: Fatigue After Stroke

This article will discuss post-stroke rehabilitation and fatigue after stroke. A stroke leaves both emotional and physical damage and it can also leave the survivor extremely fatigued. According to researcher reports, up to 70 percent of stroke survivors experience extreme fatigue that includes overwhelming mental and/or physical tiredness or exhaustion. Post-stroke rehabilitation can be extremely helpful in battling fatigue after stroke.

Symptoms of fatigue after stroke can include difficulty with emotions, self-control and memory. The duration and severity of post-stroke fatigue ranges from relatively mild and in-frequent fatigue to overwhelming and constant fatigue in some patients. Some survivors report feeling fatigued even after a full night’s sleep and that their symptoms never seem to fully go away. Others say they only feel fatigue when they perform tasks that require mental or physical focus. Most survivors report that fatigue most commonly occurs without warning and makes it difficult to do routine activities as well as work and social activities.

Causes
Due to a lack of research in post-stroke fatigue, experts are not certain what causes fatigue in survivors but believe there are several possibilities. The medical conditions of a survivor, such as diabetes, heart disease, anemia, respiratory disease, migraines or pre-stroke fatigue, can contribute to a survivors post stroke fatigue. This is because the stroke itself or the side effects of stroke medication may worsen the survivor’s fatigue. Sleep apnea is also relatively common among stroke survivors and is reported in high rates among individuals who report fatigue after stroke. However, no solid relationship has been proven.

It is also believed that poor heart health is associated with post-stroke fatigue due to high levels of exertion. Stroke survivors expend nearly twice as much energy performing routine tasks like standing upright and keeping balance. Many survivors are even concerned about falling and feel uncomfortable performing simple tasks. This stress can increase mental and physical demands and lead to post-stroke fatigue. Also, stress, depression, and anxiety, which are all common in post-stroke patients, are associated with fatigue or lack of energy. However, researchers have not determined their specific relationship to fatigue after strokes.

Post-stroke rehabilitation: Fighting Fatigue
The first step in post-stroke rehabilitation to fight fatigue is to talk with your healthcare team and your family to determine the best plan to care for you the patient. The following are post-stroke rehabilitation tips to help fight post stoke fatigue:

– The first step is to check your post-stroke rehabilitation medical prescriptions for potential side effects, especially fatigue.
– The second step is to ask about post-stroke rehabilitation treatment options if you are experiencing trouble sleeping, depression or anxiety. It is also important to notify your family that post-stroke fatigue is not like the fatigue they have experienced and their support and understanding can help.
– The third step in post-stroke rehabilitation for fatigue is to maintain good health in order to control or prevent medical conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease, which are known to affect energy levels.
– The fourth step is to consult a physical therapist to understand fitness, balance disorders and other treatments relating to fatigue.
– Finally, the best post-stroke rehabilitation in fighting fatigue is to carefully plan physically or mentally demanding activities throughout the day. This way you will plan to rest or take breaks before you feel tired and you separate the concentrated periods when you are exerting yourself.

Physical therapists, who specialize in post-stroke rehabilitation, can also help survivors reduce post-stroke fatigue. In most states, individuals can make an appointment with a therapist without a referral from a physician and individuals experiencing extreme fatigue should certainly consult a physical therapist or physician.

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