Hello and welcome back once again! For regular readers of this blog I would like to mention that I have been making a real effort this year to keep the blog updated with informative articles about the physiotherapy services that we offer and also key topics and the latest in the world of physiotherapy research. I hope this has been interesting for everyone. Today I thought that we could continue looking at how our physiotherapy service is able to help patients in Tamworth who have had a stroke.

If you know someone who has had a stroke or you have had a stroke yourself then you will be very aware of how life changing and disabling the effects of a stroke can be. Many of the patients that our physiotherapists in Tamworth see have been fit and independent people prior to having a stroke. After having a stroke often they have difficulty moving one side of their body, walking and living independently. As anyone can imagine this is a devastating experience and at this point it is vital to get access to as much high quality rehabilitation and physiotherapy as is possible.

To give you a brief idea of what a stroke is and the underlying physiology: it is important to know that there are two types/underlying causes of stroke: the first is an ischaemic stroke in which a clot blocks blood supply to an area of the brain and causes the patient to experience a stroke. The second is a hemorrhagic stroke in which there is a bleed in the brain. A stroke can sometimes be mild and only have very minor effects and patients may recover in 24 hours (this is called a TIA) however it can also cause catastrophic loss of all movement on one side of the body, difficulties with speech, swallowing and comprehension. Usually a stroke will affect predominantly one side of the body, this is because the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body and vice-versa.

Our chartered physiotherapists are all experienced with helping patients recover from a stroke and are able to provide a physiotherapy service at home in Tamworth and areas such as Hopwas, Amington, Fazeley and Glascote to anyone who has had a stroke. Often we work alongside and in conjunction with NHS physiotherapists to maximise the possible recovery for patients and our physiotherapists are able to liaise directly with NHS staff in order to reduce the burden on families.

If you or anyone you know has had a stroke and lives in Tamworth then please get in touch to have a chat about how we might be able to help with recovery and physiotherapy. We can be contacted via email: enquiries@threespiresphysiotherapy.co.uk or phone: 07884281623