Effective treatment techniques for stroke patients

Hi all, wondering if anyone had any experience working with stroke patients? I have been asked for advice for an elderly patient who has just returned home after four months. She has had regular physio and the family are keen to continue some physical therapy at home. She was in a wheelchair prior to the stroke and they are realistic about further progression. Any advice or views on specialist treatment approach would be much appreciated!

Tags: Stroke

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Permalink Reply by Small Fry on November 19, 2011 at 10:23am

I'd say confusion is in the eye of the beholder. Like it or not we are dealing with complex systems and the way they behave. This is what we were good at long before modern mathematics had the tools to handle complex systems in a smart way - let's embrace it as our forte. The idea that we need a hugely detailed system that micromanages every parameter and needs a million different specialties, is really in the geo-centric realm of healthcare now.

Early 20th century osteopaths had a much better handle on interacting with complex systems, they were ahead of their time. They called it the body's own medicine chest and the body functioning as a unit - remove stress from the system, give it what it needs, and it rebalances itself. Even modern ICU is beginning to go that way - allowing more and more the patient to recover in his own way, not panicking about every reading that goes outside normal boundaries (every 'condition'); providing support but less control. And they are saving more lives that way.

The proof of the cake is in the risks IMHO, the effects of heroic medical micromanagement are so unpredictable that it also needs a huge and expensive emergency back-up system to cope with dangerous outlying events ('complications' and 'adverse reactions'), which happen far too often in medicine for my liking.

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Permalink Reply by indikate on November 19, 2011 at 2:08pm

Interesting line of humour mmi, I would be very delighted to hear some more of your forthright views, maybe you could make a professional contribution to this debate next time.

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Permalink Reply by Small Fry on November 19, 2011 at 2:19pm

Just read it again. Sarcasm - cool! No need to be embarrassed MMI if your treatment approach is loosening off all the tight bits having screened your patient to ensure they do not need a health practitioner of any kind. There is certainly a market for that sort of entertainment, and you needn't feel threatened by anyone discussing actual therapy.