Misconceptions of stroke rehabilitation patients

Walking too early - I have been in clinical rehabilitation for more than four years and have seen many stroke patients or their families rushing for success, ignoring the advice of doctors and rehabilitation therapists, and walking too early, which has largely caused the patient to develop abnormal posture and poor gait in the later stage.

The hazards of walking too early

01/Tilted posture or asymmetrical body posture

In the early stage of stroke, patients have weak core strength, decreased trunk control ability, and insufficient support stability in the lower limbs (especially the knee joint). If walking training is carried out too early at this time, patients may unconsciously shift their center of gravity towards the healthy side in order to obtain a sense of balance and security, leading to the formation of posture tilt or asymmetrical body posture.

02/Hip external rotation gait

When early stroke patients suffer from hip flexion muscle weakness and insufficient hip flexion and stepping ability, the body naturally compensates by allowing the hip joint to rotate outward and using the strength of the hip adductor muscle and trunk to drive stepping, forming a hip joint outward rotation gait. In addition, when hip flexion muscle weakness occurs, patients may exert excessive force to take steps, which can overactivate the central nervous system, causing muscles that should not contract or even need to be relaxed to contract, resulting in increased muscle tone in the limbs, and may also trigger the use of flexor or extensor muscle patterns to take steps in the lower limbs.

03/Knee over extension

In the early stages of stroke, due to the lack of specialized support and stability training for the knee joint, the support and proprioceptive sensation are relatively weak. Therefore, during the stage of walking with the foot on the ground to support the body, it is impossible to maintain the normal posture of the knee joint, and the knee joint can only be forced to extend excessively, relying on soft tissues such as the posterior joint capsule and ligament to stabilize the knee. It should be noted that over extension of the knee will cause the tibia to move backwards, which in turn can cause ankle plantarflexion (the movement of stepping on the toes), and these two situations are interdependent - over extension of the knee can cause ankle plantarflexion, which in turn may worsen the condition of the ankle.

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Shenzhen Xinghui Technology Co., Ltd. was established in 2004, providing comprehensive solutions in five major areas: rehabilitation assessment, preventive rehabilitation, physical and exercise therapy, rehabilitation, and rehabilitation technology training. Focused on specialized fields such as elderly rehabilitation, neurological rehabilitation, orthopedic rehabilitation, postpartum rehabilitation, burn rehabilitation, and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, we aim to create a unique series of physical factor rehabilitation products with muscle and bone pain solutions as the core. Ten years ago, we began introducing advanced international hydrotherapy technology and equipment to the Chinese market, constantly bringing new perspectives to the rehabilitation therapy industry in China.