Posted on December 14, 2007 in Latest News
Stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is the clinical designation for a rapidly developing loss of brain function due to a disturbance in the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain. This phenomenon can be due to lack of blood supply.
Therapies to prevent stroke are based on treating an individual’s underlying risk factors. Acute stroke therapies try to stop a stroke while it is happening. Post-stroke rehabilitation is to overcome disabilities that result from stroke damage. Two popular massage tratments for stroke are given below.
Chinese massage
For most stroke patients, physical therapy is the cornerstone of the rehabilitation process. Here, massage therapy is most favored. Chinese massage has many diverse physiological effects, which are primarily due to the therapist’s hands moving over the body. The different movements can physically stretch muscles, ligaments, tendons and fascia, encourage the circulation through the tissue, inhibit muscular spasms and be either sedating or stimulating to the nervous system.
Marma therapy
In Ayurveda ‘Marmasthans ‘ are special points of energies in the body. Ayurvedic acupuncturists or marma therapists are fully aware of the energy chakras and all energy points which can be treated to unblock the channels of energies. The practitioner in question sees stroke damage as lack of co-ordination between body and mind. Marma therapy for a stroke normally consists of 24 half-hour sessions once or twice a week, together with intensive exercises to practice at home (see below). “Marma therapy can clear away obstructions between muscles, nerves and the brain”, explains the practitioner, “so that the brain can relearn how to control and co-ordinate the body, helping you to get back to a normal life”.
