Today twenty-ninth October, is World Stroke Day. Every year on world stroke day, the World Stroke Organization works to spark a global conversation and maximize public awareness and the urgent need for action. World Stroke Organization is working to improve stroke systems of care through policy changes that help ensure severe stroke patients get the level of care they need to survive and thrive.
Stroke is a non-communicable disease that attacks millions of people worldwide every year and one in every four people are at risk of developing a stroke. The World Stroke campaign aims to encourage people to understand stroke risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. The campaign also promotes healthy living, ways to recognize the warning signs of stroke and how to take action and rehabilitation of survivors.
Although the elderly age group is more commonly affected by stroke, it also can occur to anyone at any age. Understanding the risk factors and recognizing the symptoms may help in preventing a brain stroke. According to World Stroke Organization, stroke can be prevented by maintaining healthy lifestyle by avoiding smoking, alcohol intake, maintaining regular physical activity, dietary modifications; such as limiting sodium that is salt, meats and sweets as well as ensuring regular health checkups.
The 2025 World Stroke Day aims at increasing public awareness of stroke symptoms and early warning signs such as: sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg, especially one side of the body, sudden confusion, trouble speaking or difficulty understanding speech or sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
Stroke happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off either by blood clot or rupture of the blood vessel. Without blood, brain cells can be damaged or destroyed. This damage can have different effects depending on where it happens in the brain. Your body, mobility and speech, as well as how you think and feel, can all be affected.
Stroke can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any age from babies to children and teens to the elderly. The effects and the type of support needed after stroke vary too.
The good news is that a stroke surviving victims can recoup some or all previous abilities when early rehabilitation by means of good and labor-intensive physiotherapy care is put in place.
Hence it is important to identify stroke symptoms as early as possible and act fast as millions of brain cells die every second following stroke.
For those who are already victims of stroke, stroke rehabilitation in form of physiotherapy plays important role in recovery after stroke. It is designed to help victims relearn skills lost after a stroke. Depending on the parts of brain affected by the stroke, physiotherapy can help with movement, strength and daily living skills.
Researchers have discovered that people who participate in a focused physiotherapy program perform better than most people who do not have physiotherapy care. Therefore physiotherapy skilfully performed is recommended for everyone that has had disability following a stroke.
The World Stroke Organization appeals to other organizations and communities to support in provision of better facilities and create opportunities for stroke survivors to have quick access to stroke treatment and rehabilitation.
In line with the commemoration of the World Stroke Day, the Stroke Disability Care Initiative- an affiliate member of World Stroke Organization and a subsidiary of Omega Physiotherapy and Back Pain Care Clinic, shall conduct a one day free physiotherapy care intervention for stroke disabled-persons at Omega Physiotherapy and Back Pain Care Clinic, Number thirty-four Okolo Street, American quarters, Onitsha, on Friday, October thirty-first 2025, by half past eight o’clock in the morning.
Endeavour to attend good physiotherapy regularly to avoid being severely disabled by stroke! For more information call 08033299222.
DR CHARLES EHIRM
