It may not be for everyone, but a new study suggests that the smooth stride of a gentle horse may help stroke survivors regain lost mobility and balance years after their brain attack.
"I don't think we're ready to say that once you've reached the last phase of stroke recovery, you should get on a horse," said Dr. Daniel Lackland, a spokesperson for the American Stroke Association.
But, it's "exciting" that many of these patients saw improvements with therapies "outside of what's available in traditional stroke rehabilitation," he added.
None of the stroke survivors in the study had severe disabilities, but they did have lingering problems with essential functions like balance, walking and memory.
Researchers found that two unconventional therapies -- horseback riding and music-and-rhythm therapy -- seemed to help many of these patients.
Lackland also pointed to the bigger picture: The study showed that improvements can be made long after a stroke occurs.
That, in itself, has not been clear, according to Lackland. Most research, he said, has focused on shorter-term stroke recovery.
Senior study researcher Dr. Michael Nilsson agreed.
"A very important message is that it's never too late to improve functions, to learn or relearn, because of the capacity of our brains," said Nilsson, a rehabilitation medicine specialist and professor at the University of Newcastle in Australia.
Stroke rehabilitation begins as soon as a patient is stable. The specifics depend on the damage the stroke has caused: Some people need physical therapy to try to regain the function of their limbs; some need speech and language therapy; others need help with getting back to work.
But, Lackland said, it's not known whether those same conventional approaches continue to help in the later phases of recovery.
In fact, he said, stroke survivors usually do not continue rehab for the long haul.
According to Nilsson, "the general opinion has been -- and in many cases still is, unfortunately -- that in late phase after stroke, there is nothing further to be achieved."
But, he said, researchers are increasingly looking at late-phase recovery, as they learn more about the brain's "plasticity" -- its ability to adapt and recover from injury.
HealthDay
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Editor : M. Shamsur Rahman
Published by the Editor on behalf of Independent Publications Limited at Media Printers, 446/H, Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1215.
Editorial, News & Commercial Offices : Beximco Media Complex, 149-150 Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1208, Bangladesh. GPO Box No. 934, Dhaka-1000.
Editor : M. Shamsur Rahman
Published by the Editor on behalf of Independent Publications Limited at Media Printers, 446/H, Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1215.
Editorial, News & Commercial Offices : Beximco Media Complex, 149-150 Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1208, Bangladesh. GPO Box No. 934, Dhaka-1000.