Risk Factors that Leads to Higher Stroke Possibility
A stroke can interrupt the blood flow to a certain area of the brain. It is a medical emergency and prompt treatment is crucial. Our lifestyle choices and habits may impact our risk of stroke. While healthy habits can reduce it significantly. Many stroke risk factors are related to lifestyle, so everyone has the ability to reduce the risk of stroke.
Some of the most important risk factors for stroke are high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, diabetes, high blood cholesterol levels, heavy drinking, a diet high in fat and salt, lack of regular exercise, and obesity.
Obviously, high blood pressure (hypertension) is the most significant risk factor for stroke. Blood pressure refers to the pressure inside the arteries. High blood pressure is when blood pressure is consistently over 140/90. This is called ‘hypertension’.
Hypertension means that the blood is exerting more pressure than is normal or healthy. Over time, this weakens and damages blood vessel walls, which can lead to stroke, particularly cerebral hemorrhage.
Moreover, smoking can double or even quadruple the risk of stroke. Some of the chemicals in cigarette smoke (such as nicotine and carbon monoxide) accelerate the process of atherosclerosis (narrowing of arteries). Cigarette smoke forces arteries to constrict (get narrower), which makes it harder for the thickened blood to move through the vessels. Cigarette smoking here can damage the heart and blood vessels, increasing your risk for stroke.
Furthermore, drinking alcohol heavily can raise blood pressure levels and makes it three times more likely to have a stroke (particularly hemorrhagic stroke), regardless of age.
Diabetes also is a chronic condition in which the body is unable to utilize blood sugar. A person with diabetes is around twice as likely to have a stroke as someone of the same gender and age, who doesn’t have diabetes. This is because high blood sugar levels contribute to the development of atherosclerosis (narrowing of arteries).
Stroke affects millions of people every year and is the main cause of disability, leading to huge economic costs and a decline in the quality of life. Post-stroke rehabilitation aims to reduce disability by promoting recovery from injury, activity, or participation
A physical therapy program like rehabilitation may include exercises to strengthen muscles, improve coordination, and regain range of motion to help the patient relearn skills he lost when a stroke affected the part of his brain. Stroke rehabilitation can help regain independence and improve the quality of life
Although robotic gloves have got some good results in the latest decades, taking the example of SIFREHAB-1.0 which is combined with flexible robot technology and neuroscience, it can help patients master fingers flexion and extension, reduce hand muscle tension, relieve edema and stiffness, promote rehabilitation of brain nerve injury through exercise, improve hand activity and accelerate the rehabilitation of hand function.
Moreover, the SIFREHAB-1.0 offers an effective hand recovery program (ADL) that involves a set of various daily tasks to build up strength and dexterity such as dressing, self-feeding, bathing, laundry, meal preparation, and other similar everyday tasks. These daily repetitive exercises minimize muscle tension, enhance blood circulation, relieve pain, and prevent muscle weakening.
To conclude, strokes can be prevented by controlling blood pressure, eating a healthy diet, engaging in regular physical activity, not smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight. meanwhile, stroke accident patients can have their condition managed by themselves, which may include the ability to use the Rehabilitation Robotic Gloves (SIFREHAB-1.0) at home which is most suited for stroke patients with hand function disabilities.
