Focus on stroke

What is a stroke?

Stroke occurs when the supply of blood to the brain is suddenly disrupted. Blood is carried to the brain by arteries. Blood may stop moving through an artery because the artery becomes blocked by a blood clot or plaque, or because the artery breaks or bursts. A stroke can occur in two main ways: a blocked artery, or a bleed in the brain.

When the blood supply is stopped, the brain cannot get the oxygen it needs; brain cells in the area die and the brain can become permanently damaged with a wide range of consequences.

Go to www.strokefoundation.com.au for more information about stroke.

The Physiotherapy Department at Epworth Rehabilitation conducts a ‘Running Group’ to improve the mobility outcomes of people who have sustained neurological injuries. In 10 years, the program has taught over 200 people to run again.

The ‘Running Group’ was developed to improve participation rates in people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) by teaching people with neurological injuries how to run, improve running technique, and re-train sporting and leisure skills to facilitate return to their original lifestyles.

The structure of the group has evolved into three stages. The first stage consists of those patients who are unable to run. Their program consists of exercises designed to prepare them for the biomechanical demands of running.

The next stage includes patients who — although they can run to some extent — require running re-training to improve their technique and efficiency. The process of re-training running follows a similar procedure to gait re-education in terms of observation, analysis, and intervention.

Finally, once a good running technique is established, sport and leisure specific activities are re-trained. This stage typically involves the introduction of ball skills and sporting equipment. This is the first time in the process that a secondary task is introduced. Secondary tasks related to sporting and leisure pursuits are introduced only when running technique is consolidated and patients no longer need to concentrate to run at their best.

The scope of the ‘Running Group’ has expanded to include other neurological conditions with spinal cord injuries, brain damage, and cerebral palsy. Non-neurological patients have been included, e.g., road trauma, and people with chronic back pain who have stopped running.