Stroke rehab in this country is critically underfunded and understaffed. And survivors are paying a very heavy price! 🧠💙 The UK government accepts it's failing many patients, and tries to point to a plan to roll out specialist stroke rehabilitation in people's homes so fewer survivors depend on hospital stays. What they mean, I think, is the Integrated Community Stroke Service (ICSS) model. But everyone knows it'll never happen properly.
The strong suggestion by the Labour government of a seamless, uniform 7-day home stroke rehabilitation across the. whole of the UK by around 2035 is so 'shady' that its pretty much resembles a Victorian city street at night. Personally I think it'll never happen. What do you think? ;)
This gap between what the NHS can offer and what survivors actually need is exactly where ARNI stroke rehab services try to help. We all know NHS therapy can be jolly good in spots (while it lasts), but as we also know, it stops once you hit a certain baseline, far before recovery has occurred, and for most of survivors that's LONG before they've reached their potential. Even the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (the professional, educational, and trade union body for UK physios), says community stroke services have, on average, 26% fewer physios than recommended, and that acute stroke teams are down 15%, which is leaving some people with disabilities that could have been avoided.
ARNI-trained instructors step into this gap, working with astonishing success with survivors in the community, one-to-one and at group sessions, on recovery of strength, action control, (balance, walking hand function etc) and the regain of independence again.
Find a specialist instructor near you now through ARNI Stroke Charity now. Call Us : 0203 053 0111 - and if you're not in the UK, we can still help via remote training and loads of excellent stroke rehab resources (how-to/sel#ARNIstrokerehabD#strokerecoveryw#StrokeRehabilitationk#strokesurvivore#PhysiotherapyRehabilitation #StrokeSurvivor #Physiotherapy
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One of the most effective ways to improve numbness is through sensory reeducation. This involves repeatedly exposing the affected area to different types of stimulation to help the brain rebuild its understanding of touch.
Examples include:
- Gently rubbing different textures (soft cloth, rough fabric, sponge) on the skin
- Identifying objects without looking (like cutlery or keys)
- Alternating (carefully) between hot and cold sensations
Over time, these can help strengthen the brain’s ability to interpret sensory input more accurately.
www.arni.co.uk #neurorehab #strokeexercise #strokerehabilitation #strokerehab #strokerecovery #exerciseafterstroke #strokerecoveryexercises
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Amazing New Finding - Black people in England are having strokes YEARS earlier than their white counterparts. A new study shows us why. 🧠💙
The research from King's College London, published this week in the journal eClinicalMedicine, looked at 30 years of data from more than 8,500 adults on the South London Stroke Register, (is one of the longest-running stroke registers in the world) . And importantly, the SAME patterns in the register show up in diverse urban areas elsewhere around the world.
The headline figure is really stark; diabetes in Black African participants nearly doubled over 20 years, rising from 21% in 1995–2004 to 41% in 2015–2024. High blood pressure and diabetes are both more common and rising faster in Black African and Caribbean groups; diabetes is around twice as common in Black Caribbean and Black African participants as in white participants AND high blood pressure is 29% more common in Black Caribbean and 47% more common in Black African people.
Btw, a lot of these strokes come with no warning at ALL. 12% of strokes in Black African participants happened with no prior risk factor diagnosis, against 6% in white participants, so for many the stroke was the first sign anything was wrong. Related work from the same register, presented at the European Stroke Organisation Conference this May, found Black African people have strokes around 10 to 12 years earlier than white people on average, and that Black African survivors had 34% lower odds of getting timely follow-up care.
Part of the problem is timing. NHS Health Checks screen for high blood pressure and diabetes, but they only start at 40, and obviously that's often too late for higher-risk groups who have strokes younger. Deprivation also adds to it; diabetes was 23% more common in people in manual jobs, like bus drivers, security guards and plumbers, than in non-manual ones.
ARNI Stroke Rehab & Recovery says: loads pf these strokes can be prevented if high blood pressure and diabetes are caught and treated early, so like Daniel Ganier, 29, pictured here, if this post applies to YOU, do ask your GP to check your blood pressure and blood sugar ASAP ;)!
www.arni.co.uk
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‘Seated marching’, is a difficult exercise because the task is to keep the affected foot returning to the same spot on the floor, parallel to your good foot, rather than extending away from it.
Have you tried this, or is it one of your exercises?
Do you find it easy?
If y ou need some help we have trainers t throughout the country. Call us on 0203 053 0111 or email support@arni.uk.com to find out if there's one near you.
www.arni.co.uk
#strokeexercise #strokerehab #strokerecovery #strokerehabilitation #exerciseafterstroke #neurorehab #strokerecoveryexercises
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Challenge helps your brain get better. Challenge exists when you push yourself just beyond your current ability level. But not too much.
So go on. Challenge yourself today!
Not sure what to do? We have trainers throughout the country who can help you. Call us on 0203 053 0111 or email support@arni.uk.com to find out if there's one near you.
www.arni.co#ARNIstrokerehabr#neurorehabr#strokerehabr#arnistrokecharitya#strokerecoveryo#arnistroket#StrokeRehabilitationa#strokeexerciser#strokesurvivorscanrscan
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Dr Tom signing a copy of the popular and comprehensive 'Successful Stroke Survivor' for Shamus, who's doing amazingly well in his rehabilitation. Btw, his new book 'Reality Stroke Rehab' will be published towards the end of the year - do look ou#ARNIstrokerehabn#NeuroRehabilitatione#strokerehabh#arnistrokecharitye#strokerecoveryk#arnistroket#StrokeRehabilitationo#strokeexercisei#stroken #strokeexercise #stroke
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Dr Tom told me: There's little doubt that teaching stroke survivors to get up from the floor may help to allay their fears and those of their carers. If a fall does occur, being able to rise independently or with a minimum of assistance may avoid ‘long lies’ and their consequences as well as give people the confidence to participate in society knowing that they can ‘help themselves’ if need be, wherever they are.
At ARNI, as he is showing on the mat here, many stroke survivors who come to train with our Instructors simply cannot, at first, figure out how to get get down to the floor and get up again, or do it badly, dangerously or plain wrongly. For example, many stroke survivors report that they are shown how to lower themselves into a ‘kneeling position’. Unfortunately this takes a lot of courage to perform without holding onto anything. And often, limitations caused by drop foot means that stroke survivors anticipate falling forward or into the ‘gap created’ on the good side. And so they don’t do it, either instinctively realising that it’s impossible, or they crash to the floor with one knee in the attempt to stay upright as they descend. There are lots of badly bruised knees out there!
Can you get down and up from the floor with confidence now, after stroke? Please let usknow!!
www.arni.co.uk
#arnistrokerehab #neurorehabilitation #strokerehab #arnistrokecharity #strokerecovery #arnistroke #strokerehabilitation #strokeexercise #stroke
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Cardiovascular exercise is defined as any type of exercise that gets your heart rate up and keeps it up for a prolonged period of time. It isn’t difficult to do and there are lots of options.
Walking, jogging, running, cycling, stepping, swimming, boxercise and rowing are examples for those who haven’t suffered a stroke. Options for stroke survivors are narrowed somewhat from these choices but at least one or other of the above can probably be achievable, either supported or unsupported.
When you do these types of activities, your respiratory system starts working somewhat harder as you begin to breathe faster and more deeply. Your blood vessels expand to bring more oxygen to your muscles, and your body releases natural painkillers (endorphins).
exercises like walking and swimming, which can be done with friends or family, are a great way to socialise while achieving some exercise. Sometimes you won’t be able to get out and about as often as you need, to do a form of exercise , so it’s a good idea to plan how you’re going to get it done by yourself at home.
www.arni.co.uk
#exerciseafterstroke #strokerecovery #strokeexercise #strokerehabilitation #neurorehab #strokerecoveryexercises #neuroplasticity #neurorehabilitation #strokerehab
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Stroke at 29... and she now does stand-up comedy about it! 🎤 Molly Kinsey sounds like she's got the right stuff 🧠 She had a stroke in 2022, and she's taken to the stage to rebuild her life and confidence. Her act is about the chaos of raising her young son, and when she drops in that she's a stroke survivor, as she puts it: 'it's fun to be a bit daft about it, and I don't want people to feel sorry for me.'
What about you? Do you too like a laugh? Does it make life easier? (It does for me - Tom!) Molly says that she woke one morning where she lives in Exeter, totally blind in her left eye, and A&E first suspected a migraine until a scan confirmed a stroke, and revealed she'd had two earlier ones without realising.
The cause was a patent foramen ovale (a small hole in the heart that lets a clot reach the brain), since closed with surgery. It left her with memory problems, fatigue and eyesight difficulties, and for a long time she was depressed and convinced her dreams were over.
She'd always wanted to do stand-up but assumed the brain injury made it impossible: 'I told myself I'd never remember material, never be quick enough. Recently, I realised the only person stopping me was me.' On stage she works with the deficits: 'my brain just blanks out... I have to give myself a minute, it's like a computer where I turn myself off and on again.' She took a comedy course, has since played the Exeter Comedy Festival, and is booked for Penzance in October.
I've found research behind this, too; studies do link laughter to lower stress hormones, reduced pain, better mood and improved sociability... and that comedy has been found to help mental health recovery through connectedness, hope, identity and purpose. For a survivor rebuilding confidence and fighting isolation, I guess that making a room laugh does most of that at once.
ARNI Stroke Rehab & Recovery says: recovery isn't only physical, and confidence, identity and purpose are definitely as important as any exercise. What do you reckon? Do you too like a laugh? Does it make life easier? (It does for me - Tom!) ;0
www.arni.co.uk
#ARNIStrokeRehab #StrokeSurvivor #YoungStroke #StrokeRecovery #Comedy
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Whatever your status, whoever you are, to mark 20 years of ARNI, we would like to offer you today the Successful Stroke Survivor DVDs (Full set) (all 45-60 mins) with a massive £50 off! 
He will show you how to recover balance, how to walk and turn without problem, how to cope with drop foot, how to reach, grasp and release well again, how to become stronger and robust.. and how to tackle all sorts of activities of daily life that you hadn’t dreamed possible after stroke.
You can do it: Dr Tom will show you how, and in the Bonus DVD, will also show you a full training session with a stroke survivor so you can see how everything works.
Thomas Eldred (Verified Purchase) – (USA)
Elvira Oravecz Péter (Verified Purchase) – (Hungary)
Petr Pokorny (Verified Purchase) –
All DVDs are very important to us for my husband, every move is very precious every minute, thanks for the help, we work every day, we learn. We want good health and good luck Enikő and Ernő
Tim Webster (Verified Purchase) –
Full of practical tips, drills and ideas, “THE SUCCESSFUL STROKE SURVIVOR” videos are an excellent resource for stroke survivors.
Suzie (Verified Purchase) –
I definitely recommend these dvds, beautifully presented and easy to follow and very inspirational. I use them now in addition to my private physio to help in my recovery, only wish they were available earlier. Lots of training strategies and exercises developed by Tom, a true expert and stroke survivor. Don’t hesitate buy the complete set.
I am an ARNI instructor in training and I am finding these videos essential in helping me become a knowledgeable, effective and inspired trainer. I purchased the complete set, along with Dr Balchin’s Stroke Survivor book and I refer to them on a daily basis and I know they will continue to be an indispensable tool in my development. Each technique is clearly explained and demonstrated by Tom and the great thing is that you can pause at any point to try it yourself, or listen back to something. If you are a carer, friend or family member, wanting to help a loved one who has had a stroke then these DVDs are a must.
As a former Royal Marine, these exercises have been paramount in improving the functional use of both my arm and hand. I would wholly recommend ‘DVD Volume 5’ to anyone who wishes to improve their condition, following a stroke.
Russ Kennedy (Verified Purchase) –
It’s my pleasure to recommend the Stroke Solutions DVD. I purchased the book, The Successful Stroke Survivor, about five years ago but found that I needed to be shown how to do certain exercises. Since I have obtained the affordable and worthwhile DVD, I continually refer to it. I wish that you had been able to make it available sooner. Many thanks. Russ Kennedy PhD, MBA, MPH
Justin Smallwood (Verified Purchase) –
Peter Corfield (Verified Purchase) –
I had an AVM stroke 1st June 2010.We were in France. My wife found me on the floor having returned from an art experience there was no way of telling how long I had been there. Maybe 4/5 hours or longer a helicopter was called from Dijon I was flown to a hospital in a coma. Missed out on the view. They did an emergency craniotomy to repair the vein that had burst .I was put in an induced coma for about 2 and a half weeks. When I awoke I was hemiplegic left side. Enough about me. These DVDs are so Amazing I can’t tell you how good they are in words try them yourself. I may even do some of the exercises as my you tube stroke blog when I have enough time in the day . You may have seen me armchair gardening filling and emptying the dishwasher fetching the wood. Everyday life can be achieved after stroke and I owe it all to Dr. Tom Balchin and Arni Institute. Buy the DVDs they are Awesome.
Nick Cole (Verified Purchase) –
Finally, all his knowledge is distilled into a set of DVDs. They’re pure gold dust, refined over many years experience working with stroke survivors of all ages. I’m working through the exercises in the DVDs and they still form the basis of my twice-weekly physiotherapy and self-rehab programme.
Louis Rowson (Verified Purchase) –
Found the DVDs very inspirational, I have had a lot of help from the wonderful therapists in North Devon, but need now to move on and I believe Tom’s DVDs will help me. My initial prognosis left me wheelchair bound, but with determination and support I can now walk with support, my left hand is still of very little use but I have been given fresh motivation by the DVDs.
These DVDs are beautifully and compassionately presented by Dr Tom Balchin and his team! Every move, exercise, strategy is clearly described and demonstrated, with many repetitions of the complexities of some of the coping strategies and functional training techniques and drills. I recommend these to every stroke survivor and their families, and carers. As an adjunct to ‘The Successful Stroke Survivor’ the DVDs give strong visual and aural cues to the descriptions in the book. This actually makes the learning of, and thus the effective implementation of the strategies, much more accessible.
Gary Sacheck (Verified Purchase) –
I am a stroke survivor and agree with the statement that, “knowledge is power” and this video plus all those that accompany this in Tom’s collection deliver that specific knowledge that a stroke survivor needs. This video like all in the collection inspire and provide the variety and “make it fun & interesting” style in your exercises to help you keep your rehab progressing.
Owen Thomas (Verified Purchase) –
Very informative and helpful: clear and concise instructions with great attention to detail on technique! Thank you!