Best Exercises for Paralysis Patients

In this rapidly changing world with a busy lifestyle, the least one can do is secure an independent future. Stroke patients ending up with paralysis is a common issue. It can change your life from being perfectly healthy to failing to move muscles for simple day-to-day activities.

Exercise for paralysis patients may not promise curing the condition , but it can definitely help enhance the ability of the patients to move their muscles and remain active. In this article, you will find out some of the best hand-picked exercises effective for paralysis patients.

Exercise for paralysis patients may vary from one patient to another, depending on the level of functional abilities among them. In most cases, however, the arms can draw more energy and activities than the legs. You can consider the following list of the best exercises for paralysis in this regard.

It will be unfair to think that an exercise for the hand will be sufficient to control hand muscles among paralysis patients fully. However, these exercises will help you regain some ability to move your hand muscles in the long term.

1. Therapy Ball Squeeze

This is one of the simplest and widely used hand exercises for most paralysis patients. You need to take a therapy ball in your palm and squeeze it firmly. Alternating between squeezing the ball and then releasing it gently can be an effective exercise for patients with paralysed fingers.

2. Finger Scissors Spread

This is another crucial exercise for paralysed fingers. You will need therapy putty for this. Place the putty between two adjacent fingers just above the webbing. Squeeze it using those two fingers. You should avoid using assistance from another hand while doing this.

3. Wrist Bend Movement

Place one hand in front of you on a table and the other hand's fingers behind the fingers of the first hand. Use the other hand's fingers to push the hand on the table towards you, but make sure not to stretch it too hard. Swap your pushing hand to move it against the exercising hand.

4. Rolling Movement

Place a water bottle in your affected hand and keep the fingers relaxed. Curl your fingers to grasp the bottle, and then release it down. Keep repeating the procedure.

For a wrist curl, again hold the water bottle in your affected hand and use the non-affected arm to support it. Allow your wrist to stretch down and curl it up again.

Exercises for paralysis patients can be effective for those with affected legs. Legs are of primary significance to regain independence. The following section discusses some of the most appropriate exercises for paralysed legs.

5. Side Leg Lifts

For this, slip the front half of your foot into the loop of your leg lifter. Next, lie with your foot in the leg lifter on top of your other leg. Start pulling the strap of your leg lifter gently to raise your leg to the side. Continue to lift and drop about 15 times on one leg and then turn to the other.

6. Ankle Rotation

Sit with one leg bent to your side. Make sure that you can easily reach your feet. Use one of your hands to stabilise your ankle and another to move your foot in circles. Rotating the ankle clockwise and anticlockwise will ease blood circulation and free your mind of tension.

7. Hamstring Stretch

This can be another effective exercise for paralysis treatment. For this, you have to sit on the floor. You can keep the front half of your foot inside a leg lifter. Pull the strap up in a way that the entire leg is lifted off the ground. It would help if you kept pulling until you felt mild resistance and then held for about 15 seconds.

8. Seated Marches

For this exercise for paralysis patients, while seated, lift your knees alternatively as if you are marching. Try bringing up the knees as high as possible. It helps develop crucial leg lifting motions, enabling you to walk without pressuring the joints.

Most patients with paralysis suffer from Bell’s palsy, which results in weakening facial nerves and causing temporary facial paralysis. The types of facial exercises for paralysis patients that can be beneficial are as follows -

9. Eyebrow Exercise

One of the best exercises for treatment of facial paralysis includes the movement of eyebrows. Look into the mirror and raise your eyebrows using the inner muscles. Hold it for about 15 seconds. You can also wrinkle your forehead after this. For the affected eyebrows, use your fingertips and make a firm stroke. Make a frowning face and bring the eyebrows down.

10. Eye Exercise

Compress your eyes and make them narrow, similar to when you try looking at the sun. Close your eyes first, and then look down without bending your neck. Place the back of your index finger on the closed eyelid and use the opposite hand to stretch the eyebrow upwards. This exercise helps to relax the eyelids and make them more active.

11. Mouth Exercise

This exercise enables patients of Bell’s palsy to regain control over their lips and tongue. Open your mouth as if you are about to smile, and close it. Now, do the opposite and try to frown. Next, you can pucker your lips and allow them to relax. Try lifting various parts of your mouth and using a finger to lift the affected parts. Stick out your tongue and try to reach down your chin.

12. Nose and Cheek Exercise

Another important mouth exercises for paralysis patients includes the nose and cheek parts. Use your fingers to gently push up the skin next to your nose on the affected parts of your face while trying to wrinkle your nose. Try to scrunch up your face and flare your nostrils, taking in some deep breaths. Puff up your cheeks and blow out the air.

Physical activities and exercises are typically considered essential for most individuals, irrespective of their health conditions. It is necessary for endurance and stamina, loosening joints and flexibility, reducing stress, and getting sleep. In the case of paralysis patients, physical activities become difficult. Exercise for paralysis patients helps prevent the possibilities of diabetes, heart disease, obstructive pulmonary disease, carpal tunnel syndrome, hypertension and respiratory disease, which can cause paralysis.

On the other hand, there are exercises for paralysis patients which can help treat them better and have a healthier life. These are simple exercises for patients who cannot move their muscles. Conducting such activities can help them improve cardiovascular fitness, bladder and bowel function, and fatigue and depression conditions. There have been several surveys showing paralysis patients could move muscles because of regular exercise.

There can be two kinds of exercises for paralysis recovery.  Active rehab exercise is the common one, which requires you to complete a movement independently. On the other hand, passive rehab exercise requires you to assist an infected body part through action. The second type of exercise is usually conducted among paralysis patients. It enables the patients to use an unaffected muscle to move the affected ones. In some cases, the help of a caregiver, therapist, or family member can be mandatory for passive exercises.

Stroke or other serious diseases might damage a part of the brain. Passive rehab exercise activates neuroplasticity in the patient body, a standard mechanism of the human brain to rewire itself after an injury. It allows other brain parts to create a new pathway, ultimately helping regain movement in paralysis patients. Thus, passive activities can be an effective exercise for stroke patients with paralysis.

While exercises for paralysis patients can be beneficial and their long term improvement, there are specific standards and requirements they need to maintain before doing so. For instance, some of the following factors list what you need to avoid while exercising.

• Overeating before exercising
• Drinking too much water or alcoholic beverages before exercising
• Not following doctor recommendations
• Overworking and not following a schedule
• Not taking time to rest

Thus, you should avoid doing the activities mentioned above while exercising.