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Assessment and tailoring
A first meeting in which we assess your functional condition, range of motion, balance and medical limitations. From this we set the position, intensity and duration of treatment.
What happens in the body after a stroke
A stroke (also called a CVA, cerebrovascular accident) occurs when the blood supply to an area of the brain is disrupted, whether by a blocked blood vessel or by bleeding. The affected area stops working normally, and the functional outcome depends on exactly where the damage is and how extensive it is.
When the damage is in areas responsible for movement, the effect is usually felt on one side of the body, the side opposite the injured side of the brain. This is what is called hemiparesis (one-sided weakness) or hemiplegia (one-sided paralysis). There is a point here that families do not always realize: the muscles themselves are usually intact. What is damaged is the command system, that is, the brain's ability to recruit them at the right time and with the right force.
From this follows a cycle that makes things worse over time. The weak side is used less, so it grows weaker still, losing muscle mass and range of motion. The body learns to compensate and shift weight onto the strong side, gait becomes asymmetrical, and confidence in movement drops. The good news is that this cycle also works in the opposite direction, and that is exactly the goal of ongoing motor rehabilitation.
Does the "rehabilitation window" really close after six months
This is probably the question we hear most often, and it frequently comes with a sense of despair. So first of all, the figure itself is partly true: the pace of spontaneous improvement really is fastest in the first weeks and months after the stroke, and it slows down afterwards. That much is well documented in the research.
But "slows down" is not "stops". The idea that after six months nothing changes anymore is not accurate, and it rests on older knowledge. Research on neuroplasticity, the nervous system's ability to change and adapt, shows that the brain keeps forming new connections and reshaping activation patterns for years, provided it receives consistent stimulation and training.
In practice, a considerable share of the studies that examined whole-body vibration training in stroke rehabilitation were conducted specifically with people in the chronic stage, that is, well past that six-month window. Preserving what has been achieved is also a legitimate goal in its own right. In a situation where the weak side tends to keep weakening, training that prevents decline is an achievement, not stagnation.
The common motor challenges
The picture looks different for every person, but a few challenges come up almost every time and directly affect independence at home:
- Weakness on the affected side. Difficulty generating force at the right moment and with the required strength, especially in tasks that demand sustained effort like climbing stairs or getting up from a low chair.
- Spasticity and increased muscle tone. Muscles that stay contracted and make it hard to straighten the arm or shift weight, sometimes with a stiffness that intensifies under effort or stress.
- Impaired balance and postural control. The body struggles to correct small deviations quickly enough, which shows up as instability when standing and turning.
- An asymmetrical gait pattern. More weight shifted onto the strong side, a shorter step on the affected side, and a high energy cost that leads to rapid fatigue.
- Fear of falling. A challenge fed by all of the above, which leads to avoiding movement, which in turn leads to further weakening.
What they all share is that they improve through activation. The practical question is how to generate a meaningful amount of muscle engagement for someone who finds it hard to activate themselves.