00:00Still struggling to walk after a stroke?
00:02It feels like no matter how hard you try, the progress is low.
00:06But what if I told you that whatever they're telling you
00:10that the progress will stop after a few months is just a myth?
00:15The therapy is not about just rushing.
00:18It is about showing up every day,
00:20even when you think that there is no more hope.
00:24Today, I'm going to show you four beginner exercises
00:26that can help you start walking better again.
00:29No matter how long your stroke or neurological disease has been.
00:38May add law na tong tanan.
00:40I'm Nathan, I'm your occupational therapist.
00:42And my goal is to help you be more consistent with your therapy at home.
00:46So I've seen it all working in this profession for almost 20 years now.
00:51And I'm seeing all patients,
00:53they are struggling with stroke recovery,
00:55feeling like they've missed their chances to walk again.
00:59But that is not true.
01:01Recovery is still very possible.
01:04With the right steps, you can rebuild your ability to walk.
01:07One of the biggest myths in stroke recovery,
01:11do you know what that is?
01:13That is the idea that if you don't see any improvement in the first six months,
01:18it is all over.
01:20But here is the truth.
01:22Your brain doesn't have an expiration date.
01:26Recovery takes time, repetition, and consistency.
01:29Just like what I've always been saying,
01:31consistency is the key.
01:33And it is about showing up,
01:35even when it feels like nothing is changing.
01:37It requires a lot of discipline.
01:39So let me tell you about a patient of mine,
01:42and let's just call her Charity.
01:44She had an old stroke,
01:46and it was in 2020.
01:47That was her stroke.
01:48And after that, she tried to do her therapy.
01:51But she was told that she will just peak in six months.
01:55And after that, there won't be any more progress.
01:57She looked very doubtful when I was telling her
02:01that there might still be a chance
02:03that you will improve your walking.
02:06But she's still very doubtful.
02:08But she said that she will still give it one more try.
02:12And so I gave her a few exercises,
02:15simple ones to start with,
02:16that way she can see good progress immediately.
02:20So if you want to improve your walking,
02:22even after a few months of having that stroke,
02:27even if it's years,
02:28follow along with me.
02:30All right, let's start with sitting down.
02:33We are going to do a seated weight shifting.
02:36So we are going to strengthen our core muscles
02:39and our body awareness.
02:42This is the first step in being aware
02:46where our body is at in space.
02:49This is one of the things that gets disrupted
02:51when you are having a stroke
02:53or when you have a stroke.
02:54You don't know where your body part is
02:57and you don't know how to move.
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