Stroke

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Stroke

Stroke

A stroke also is called a cerebrovascular accident, CVA, or “brain attack.”

A stroke happens when there is a loss of blood flow to part of the brain. Your brain cells cannot get the oxygen and nutrients they need from blood, and they start to die within a few minutes. This can cause lasting brain damage, long-term disability, or even death.

Stroke is a cerebrovascular disease. This means that it affects the blood vessels that feed the brain oxygen. If the brain does not receive enough oxygen, damage may start to occur.

A stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures and bleeds, or when there’s a blockage in the blood supply to the brain. The rupture or blockage prevents blood and oxygen from reaching the brain’s tissues.

A stroke is a medical emergency, and prompt treatment is crucial. Early action can reduce brain damage and other complications.

There are three primary types of strokes

  • Transient ischemic attack (TIA) involves a blood clot that typically reverses on its own.
  • Ischemic stroke involves a blockage caused by either a clot or plaque in the artery. The symptoms and complications of ischemic stroke can last longer than those of a TIA, or may become permanent.
  • Hemorrhagic stroke is caused by either a burst or leaking blood vessel that seeps into the brain.

Causes

  • Uncontrolled high blood pressure
  • Overtreatment with blood thinners (anticoagulants)
  • Bulges at weak spots in your blood vessel walls (aneurysms)
  • Trauma (such as a car accident)
  • Protein deposits in blood vessel walls that lead to weakness in the vessel wall (cerebral amyloid angiopathy)
  • Ischemic stroke leading to hemorrhage
  • Being Overweight or obese
  • Physical inactivity
  • Heavy or binge drinking
  • Use of illegal drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine
  • High blood pressure
  • Cigarette smoking or secondhand smoke exposure
  • High cholesterol
  • Diabetes
  • Obstructive sleep apnea
  • Cardiovascular disease, including heart failure, heart defects, heart infection or abnormal heart rhythm, such as atrial fibrillation
  • Personal or family history of stroke, heart attack or transient ischemic attack
  • COVID-19 infection
  • Blocked or narrowed blood vessels are caused by fatty deposits that build up in blood vessels or by blood clots or other debris that travel through your bloodstream and lodge in the blood vessels in your brain.

Symptoms

  • Paralysis
  • Numbness or weakness in the arm, face, and leg, especially on one side of the body
  • Trouble speaking or understanding others
  • Slurred speech
  • Confusion, disorientation, or lack of responsiveness
  • Sudden behavioral changes, especially increased agitation
  • Vision problems, such as trouble seeing in one or both eyes with vision blackened or blurred, or double vision
  • Trouble walking
  • Loss of balance or coordination
  • Dizziness
  • Severe, sudden headache with an unknown cause
  • Seizures
  • Nausea or vomiting

Here at Nova Health Physiotherapy Clinic, we will evaluate the causes of your pain and dysfunction, develop an individually tailored treatment plan and provide one-on-one treatment to get you to pain free life.

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