Physical Therapy in Patients After Subarachnoid Haemorrhage. Clinical and Social Study

Abstract

Introduction: Subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) consists in pathological extravasation of blood to the pericerebral fluid spaces. The incidence of SAH increases with age and is reported at 2 to 23/100,000 per year. Research shows that at 6 months after stroke, hemiparesis or hemiplegia become permanent in approximately 50% of the patients, motor coordination impairment in 30%, and speech impairment in 20%. Aim: To assess a one-year-long physical therapy programme in patients after subarachnoid haemorrhage. Material and Methods: The study included a group of 29 SAH patients and assessed the following parameters and activities after one year of physical therapy: physical fitness, mobility, eating meals, using stairs, personal hygiene, getting dressed, and bladder control. Study patients underwent physical therapy and rehabilitation, which included sitting training, standing up training, gait improvement, speech therapy, PNF, NDT-Bobath, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, feedback, and physiotherapy procedures. Results: After one year of treatment, 81.2% of female patients and 100% of male patients showed a very pronounced improvement in their signs and symptoms. Conclusions: 1.Most patients who have experienced subarachnoid haemorrhage struggle with neurological defects that require long-term rehabilitation. 2. The improvements achieved in patients depend on time from stroke onset to treatment; the earlier patients started physical therapy, the faster their health improved. 3. The effectiveness of rehabilitation requires simultaneous monitoring of the existing cardiological and metabolic disorders.