Author

Martina Mack

Date of Award

5-2021

Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Mark Romanick

Keywords

Stroke, cerebrovascular accident, cognitive deficits, neuromuscular re-education, cognitive components

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Stroke is the number four cause of death and leading cause of disability in the United States. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. The purpose of this case report is to describe the interventions used for this patient and the outcome he experienced.

Case Description. The patient was a 43-year-old male who suffered a right posterior cerebral artery cerebrovascular accident (CVA) resulting in left hemiparesis, balance, and cognitive deficits.

Interventions: The patient was treated 2x/week for 6 weeks in 30-min sessions. Treatment consisted of gait training, therapeutic exercise, neuromuscular re-education, and implementation of cognitive components using multitasking activities in conjunction with occupational and speech therapy.

Outcomes. The patient had 14 physical therapy sessions. He was able to improve balance, gait, increased strength and improved cognitive deficits. The patient was able to get back to work fulltime demonstrating improvements in functional mobility.

Discussion. Rationale for treatment was based on textbook information and stroke rehabilitation. The patient responded well to treatment, demonstrating compliance in home exercise program and high motivation. The use of research and patient specific interventions may have assisted in the restoration of a normal gait pattern, improvement of balance, and improvement of functional mobility and strength.

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