Is it a good thing that limbs become stronger after a stroke?

During the recovery period, some stroke patients will feel that the limbs on the hemiplegic side are becoming stronger and stronger, but why are their hands and feet still not under their control?

What ordinary people often call stroke is cerebrovascular disease, including ischemic cerebrovascular disease and hemorrhagic cerebrovascular disease.

Different lesions have different manifestations, the most common ones are limb paralysis, crooked mouth, paresthesia, swallowing disorders, etc. In the process of recovery from stroke, you may go through the following stages, including flaccid paralysis, spasticity, dissociative movement, and coordinated movement. When the patient feels that the limbs are stiff, "more and more powerful", but not obedient, it is actually due to increased muscle tone. The motor function of the hemiplegic side is partially restored, and the shoulders and legs can be raised, but the movement of the hands and feet cannot be well controlled. Therefore, the hands and feet feel obedient and inflexible.

About 65% of patients will experience increased muscle tone after a stroke. Moderate muscle tone is beneficial to patients and helps them stand up early. However, if the muscle tone is too high, it will affect the recovery of the patient's motor function and care, and may also cause symptoms such as pain, and lead to the appearance of abnormal movement patterns and the formation of fixed abnormal postures, such as upper limb flexor spasms, which manifest as a "basket-carrying" posture, and lower limb extensor spasms, which manifest as a circular gait when walking. This abnormal state needs to be identified early and handled in a timely manner to avoid affecting the decline in self-care abilities such as dressing, eating, walking, and personal hygiene. Active treatment can minimize or avoid sequelae as much as possible.

How to reduce the occurrence of spasms and how to treat them after they occur? Early body positioning and anti-spasmodic limb positioning can help prevent the occurrence of spasms. Early targeted treatment can help relieve spasms. Commonly used methods include:

1. Early good limb positioning.

2. Maintain joint mobility and muscle length with exercises 2-3 times a day, 20-30 minutes each time.

3. For muscles with increased tension, perform slow and continuous muscle stretching repeatedly, and practice several times a day.

4. Active relaxation training.

5. Physical factor treatment.

6. If the stiffness is large and severe, oral medications can be taken if necessary, such as baclofen, tizanidine, dantrolene, diazepam, etc. These drugs must be taken under the guidance of a doctor, starting with a small dose. The dose can be adjusted to achieve the best therapeutic effect. When using them, pay attention to side effects such as blurred vision and fatigue.

7. For local botulinum toxin type A injection treatment, the doctor will make an appropriate choice based on the evaluation. Currently, electromyography-guided or ultrasound-guided injections are used to accurately locate the target muscles and achieve precise treatment.

In short, it is recommended that patients seek medical attention promptly once they experience stroke symptoms, and begin active, comprehensive rehabilitation interventions as early as possible to reduce the occurrence of increased muscle tension; increased tension can also be actively dealt with to maximize physical function and improve quality of life.