The Dangers of Silent Stroke

While the public is generally aware of strokes and their after effects less is known about ”silent strokes”. Normal symptoms of a stroke are usually obvious, like numbness or weakness on one side of the face, difficulty walking, trouble speaking and vision problems. Some strokes, though, pass completely without being noticed. But even these can have a significant and lasting effect on memory, according to the June 2012 issue of the Harvard Women’s Health Watch. These so-called ”silent strokes” create points of dead cells in the brain. The damaged areas are smaller than with a traditional stroke. They often don’t affect areas of the brain that are associated with movement or speech. During an ischemic stroke, a blood clot blocks a blood vessel that feeds part of the brain. If there is no steady supply of blood, cells in that area stop functioning and may die. The symptoms that appear reflect functions that were under the control of the affected part of the brain. The same occurs from a hemorrhagic stroke. When someone has a silent stroke, the interruption in blood flow occurs in part of the brain that doesn’t control any vital functions. Even though it doesn’t cause any obvious symptoms—most people who have had a silent stroke aren’t aware that it occurred, though the damage is revealed on an MRI or CT scan. Memory can be affected by silent strokes, especially if several of them occur over time (which happens a lot). The damage from silent strokes can accumulate, which leads to more and more memory problems. What can women do when faced with a stroke that has no symptoms, and that are only found on an MRI or CT scan? “I think that it should make people aware that it’s imperative to manage risk factors,” says Karen Furie, associate professor at Harvard Medical School and director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Stroke Service. This means: –not smoking –controlling blood pressure and diabetes –aiming for a healthy weight –keeping cholesterol levels in check –managing atrial fibrillation When someone experiences memory loss it should not be dismissed it as a normal part of aging. The doctor should be consulted for testing to make sure their isn’t a silent stroke. The public should also be aware of the solutions available when a major stroke occurs and when physical therapy is needed to rehabilitate affected limbs. The newly developed HANDTUTOR and its sister devices (ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR, 3DTUTOR) have become a key system in neuromuscular rehabilitation for stroke victims and those recovering from brain and spinal injuries,Parkinson’s, MS, CP and other limb movement limitations. These physical therapy products implement an impairment based program with augmented motion feedback that encourages motor learning through intensive active exercises and movement practice. The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR consist of wearable glove and braces that detect limb movement showing the patient how much active or assisted active movement they are actually doing. The software uses special rehabilitation games to set a new target for this movement in terms of the patient’s ability to move their limb. The devices then measure the limb movement and give feedback to the patient. In this way the patient understands which effort is more successful. The TUTOR system provides exercises that are challenging and motivating and allow for repetitive and intensive exercise practice. The TUTOR system is now part of the rehabilitation program of leading U.S. German, Italian, French, UK and other foreign hospitals. IThey are also available throughthe use of telerehabilitation.See WWW.MEDITOUCH.CO.IL for more information.