A set of exercises for the development of speech after a stroke. Exercises to restore speech after a stroke at home: speech therapy exercises

Staging sounds after a stroke

A stroke is an acute violation of cerebral circulation. It can cause death or disability. Therefore, the quality and speed of this treatment plays an important role in the treatment of stroke. While at home, the patient should receive treatment with the necessary medicines. For the treatment of stroke, medicines that dilate blood vessels are used, they increase blood supply, provide an intensive introduction of glucose and oxygen. There are also drugs that restore metabolism. During the treatment of a stroke, during the recovery period, everything is important.

Speech exercises after a stroke

Special articulation gymnastics for stroke patients.

Exercise 1. Take air into your mouth so that your cheeks puff out, while compressing your lips strongly. Hold this position for a few seconds, then pull your cheeks in.

Exercise 2. Drive air from one cheek to another, as if there is a ball in your mouth.

Exercise 3. Relax your lips and blow the air "whoa-oo".

Exercise 4. Smile, strongly exposing your teeth.

Exercise 5. Stretch your lips into the proboscis, silently pronouncing the sound "y". This exercise should be alternated with No. 4 at least 5-7 times.

Exercise 6. Put the tongue on the lower lip, sticking out slightly and completely relaxing. With the upper lip, lightly touch the tongue and pronounce "five-five-five."

Exercise 7. Relax your tongue, move it back and forth, lightly bite your teeth.

Exercise 8. "Sail". Lift the tongue up and over the upper teeth.

Exercise 9. "Slide". Put the tongue behind the lower teeth, rest, bend it with an arc. Alternate "slide" with "sail" 5-7 times.

Exercise 10. "Horse". With the base of the tongue, stick to the hard palate and click at least 15 times.

Exercise 11. Tongue alternately rest against the right and left walls of the cheeks. Perform 5-7 times.

Exercise 12. Tighten your tongue so that it becomes narrow. In this state, touch the tip of the nose, then the chin.

Exercise 13. Move a tense sharp tongue either to the right or to the left without touching the lips.

Exercise 14. Lick your lips in a circle - first clockwise, then in the opposite direction. Repeat 5 times.

Perform each exercise 5-7 times, slowly, looking in the mirror, fixing the position of the tongue, lips or cheeks for a few seconds up to 4 times a day.

The main thing in the process of restoring speech is to remember that this process is lengthy and will require a lot of effort and patience. Try to ensure that the patient sees only a positive attitude and good relationship to yourself. Reassure your loved one that they are not a burden. He must feel your love for himself and that you are ready for anything for his recovery. This is the only way he can recover faster.

Articulation gymnastics and other methods of restoring speech after a stroke

Stroke is a serious disease, often leading to complications, in particular, to speech disorders. These consequences of the disease can be eliminated with complex treatment and constant support of the patient. The sooner you start rehabilitation and recovery measures, the more like a man will be able to return the opportunity to fully communicate.

Restoring speech after a stroke, subject to all the rules and with the help of specialists, in most cases is highly effective, so it is important not to postpone this lesson, but to help the injured person.

How does the process of speech impairment occur after a stroke?

The loss or impairment of the conversational function is caused by such types of stroke as ischemic and hemorrhagic. This process occurs due to damage to the speech center, which is located in the cerebral cortex. It is in this area that the pathogenesis of stroke occurs. So, the pathology affects the cerebellar structures and causes paralysis of the speech apparatus, due to which:

• the voice becomes more deaf and quiet;
• the patient finds it difficult to pronounce consonants or is not given at all;
• the pace of conversation slows down.

ATTENTION! In severe cases of the development of the disease, a complete loss of the ability to speak can occur.

Depending on which part of the brain is affected by a stroke and how the disease has progressed, a person’s ability to speak can manifest itself in different ways. It is important to remember that a speech disorder in a stroke can affect not only the speaking apparatus, but also a person's ability to perceive and understand information, the ability to read and write.

Causes of speech disorders

The main cause of speech disorders is a serious stroke damage to the speech brain areas located in the back of the upper and lower temporal parts of the brain. Areas affected by pathology can be:

1. Brock, when speech is completely taken away from the patient;
2. Wernicke, when the ability to speak in a person does not disappear, but speech becomes incoherent and slurred.

Damage to these areas of the brain during the development of a stroke can be caused by the following reasons:

• paralysis of the vocal cords or one of them;
• severe form of stroke;
• extensive lesion of a stroke;
• lack of timely treatment of the disease;
• complication of a stroke.

IMPORTANT! Speech disorders often occur after a hemorrhagic stroke, which provokes a hemorrhage in the brain. This pathology is rarely without complications, in contrast to its ischemic form, to prevent the progression of which the chances are higher. However, it is completely impossible to exclude the risk of damage to the speech apparatus, regardless of the form of stroke.

Types of speech disorders

There are 2 main types of disorders and speech disorders after a stroke:

1. Dysarthria, in which the patient is able to perceive information, retained the ability to read and write, but hardly pronounces words and sounds.
2. Aphasia, characterized by the complete or partial inability of a person to pronounce words. The perception of words and sounds is also not fully preserved.

According to the generally accepted classification, aphasia is divided into several types:

• Sensory, when the patient can only hear individual sounds, but is unable to understand the meaning of words, which makes it impossible for the speech apparatus to function properly.
• Total, which occurs immediately after a stroke and persists for several days. It is characterized by a complete loss of speech, inability to understand information and recognize others.
• Motor, in which the patient can perceive and understand speech addressed to him, is able to pronounce sounds separately, but cannot assemble them into words. This type of aphasia is caused by articulation disorders.
• Semantic, when the patient cannot perceive the meaning of complex and long sentences and turns, just as he cannot pronounce them. However, the understanding of simple constructions and short phrases, as well as the ability to pronounce them, is preserved.
• Sensorimotor, which is characterized by a combination of sensory and motor types of aphasia after a stroke with difficulties in perception and production of speech. The patient is able to hear and speak only individual sounds.
• Amnestic, when the patient is able to speak in words and simple sentences, but cannot fully do this because of forgetting the names of some objects and phenomena and inability to identify them with realities.

ATTENTION! A patient who has had a stroke should be treated after consultation with a specialist aphasiologist.

Treatment and restoration of speech after a stroke

Treatment and restoration of the conversational function of a person affected by a stroke should be started as early as possible. The rehabilitation prognosis will depend on the complexity and volume of brain damage: the smaller the area affected, the faster the ability to talk to a person will return.

The support of loved ones is also important during treatment. Communication with the patient is essential throughout the rehabilitation. This contributes to a positive attitude and positively affects the results.

To restore speech function in a patient, all effective methods of treating aphasia during and after a stroke should be used:

• classes with a speech therapist;
• articulation and memory exercises;
• stem cell therapy;
• physiotherapy;
• folk remedies.

REFERENCE! In severe cases, surgery may also be involved. However, for most patients, a set of exercises at home under the supervision of a speech therapist and medical methods is sufficient.

medical therapy

Medical therapy for the maintenance and restoration of the speech apparatus does not include the use of drugs, with the exception of taking vitamins to increase immunity.

Modern medical treatment for aphasia involves the procedure of transplanting stem cells into the patient. With them human body is supplied with internal forces, which contributes to the renewal and restoration of brain damaged tissues. Stem cells are able to recognize lesions and repair dying tissue.

The procedure using the patient's stem cells is performed on an outpatient basis 2 times with a break of 2-3 months. During this time, the protective functions of the body are quickly normalized and the tissues and blood vessels of the brain are reanimated, which returns the organ to normal functioning and favorably affects the patient's vitality. Improved well-being and accelerated treatment of neurosis allow a person to quickly return to the conversational function.

1. Electrical stimulation of the muscles responsible for speech. The method is particularly effective in the motor type of aphasia.
2. Acupuncture, which has a positive effect on speech activity and articulation, but does not give an exact guarantee of the return of speech.
3. Functional biofeedback based on visual performance monitoring speech muscles.

IMPORTANT! The choice of such procedures depends on the type and complexity of the speech disorder. Physiotherapy is used only in combination with other methods of treatment to ensure the effectiveness of therapeutic measures.

The most difficult conditions after a stroke, when the pathology disrupted the functioning of the speech apparatus and led to total aphasia, are solved with the help of surgical intervention. The operation is characterized by the restoration of the vessels of the affected tissues with a further improvement in blood circulation in the brain. The indication for this procedure is also the lack of results when using other methods of restoring speaking ability.

Lessons with a speech therapist

To restore speech after a stroke, the help of a speech therapist is also needed. The specialist must control the entire process of the patient's rehabilitation, regularly deal with him and monitor the results of therapy.

The patient's classes with a speech therapist take place after the examination and the establishment of the type of aphasia. The speech therapist should take care of the conditions in which the work with the patient will take place, find contact with him. Then the doctor selects a set of tasks to develop speech understanding, articulation and restore the ability to speak consciously. The complexity of tasks in the complex increases in the course of classes and is determined by the effectiveness of therapy for each individual patient.

A speech therapist can use the technique with the patient listening to music. So he can remember the meanings of known words, and then reproduce them, realizing the meaning of what was said. However, this type of treatment requires prior communication with the patient's relatives, since the music must be known to him and pleasant.

With speech disorders associated with memory gaps or difficulties in perceiving information, a speech therapist can use visual materials - various pictures, objects, photographs. This method is especially effective for sensory aphasia.

The duration of a patient's sessions with a speech therapist is determined by the doctor during treatment and most often ranges from 7 to 15 minutes during the first weeks after a stroke and about 30 minutes after 2 months of regular classes.

REFERENCE! If the first lessons the doctor focuses on the ability to pronounce and understand words, then at the last stage of restoring the conversational function, the speech therapist works on the patient's diction. On average, a year of regular classes with a specialist is enough to return speech.

Home exercises and gymnastics

With the high effectiveness of classes with a speech therapist, as well as to consolidate them, the patient is recommended to conduct a course of exercises at home and articulatory gymnastics after a stroke. In particular, the following methods of restoring speech are effective:

• reading and speaking aloud tongue twisters;
• reading aloud special speech therapy texts;
• pronouncing and singing songs with a light semantic load;
• connecting words into sentences and sentences into texts by building logical chains.

In addition, there is a simple exercise to restore speech after a stroke, which is recommended to be done before classes with a speech therapist - massaging the tongue with a toothbrush to relax it, which makes it easier to pronounce sounds and pronounce words. Also, this procedure is recommended in preparation for special classes for the rehabilitation of the speech apparatus. During these exercises, you should do:

• folding the tongue, lips into a tube;
• grin of teeth;
• a wide smile with tension in the facial muscles;
• pushing the tongue forward with an open mouth;
• light biting teeth alternately upper and lower lips;
• licking the lips with the tongue alternately in both directions;
• licking the inner surface of the teeth, gums, palate.

After such preparation, one should articulatory gymnastics- the patient needs to pronounce individual letters, words, and then sentences, straining the muscles as much as possible. And only after this stage, reading, singing and speaking exercises are involved. Then the effectiveness of homework will be high, as well as when communicating with a speech therapist.

Folk remedies

Folk remedies for the treatment of speech disorders after a stroke should be used as an addition to the main treatment. Effective recipes include:

1. Herbal decoctions. For cooking, pour boiling water over 1 tbsp. l. crushed cones of pine (spruce), viburnum and juniper berries and dried chopped herbs of thyme and sage. Then the liquid should be filtered and drunk 2-3 glasses a day. The medicine helps to increase immunity, and also has a beneficial effect on the mucous membrane of the throat, which facilitates the ability to speak.
2. Medicinal teas. For preparation, it is necessary to brew and drink any medicinal herbs (sage, chamomile, St. John's wort, thyme) as usual tea. It is recommended to supplement the drink with strawberries or rose hips, and then consume 2-3 glasses daily. This tea soothes inflammatory processes in the body and facilitates the general condition of the patient.
3. Honey. This simple product contributes to the rapid rehabilitation of the patient, since its use in 1 tbsp. l. before each lesson on speech, it helps to restore the voice and stimulates the work of the speech apparatus.

ATTENTION! You can use several folk recipes at the same time, but it is important to remember that it is forbidden to exclude regular classes and refuse the therapy prescribed by your doctor!

Conclusion

Restoring speech after a stroke requires the patient's time and effort. His positive attitude towards the effectiveness of treatment is very important, in which relatives and close people should help. In most cases, qualified speech therapists manage to achieve high efficiency within a year. It is necessary to believe in the best, make every possible effort, and then the result will not keep you waiting.

Restoring speech after a stroke: necessary exercises

The recovery process must begin as early as possible. It is best to do this as soon as the condition of the stroke survivor has stabilized. Do not count on the fact that after the first exercises you will get good results. For their appearance, you will need much more time than to regain control over the motor apparatus.

How to return normal speech after a stroke

As practice shows, for a complete recovery of speech after a stroke, patients will need more than six years.

Experts believe that the result directly depends on the desire and diligence of the patient himself. Since everyone is different, everyone heals at a different pace.

The course of speech restoration must be monitored by a speech therapist. It is he who prescribes either treatment with medications or special exercises. Many relatives believe that they can cope on their own, but this is a deep delusion. You can not only ruin all the treatment, but also harm a person after a stroke.

There are several types of speech disorder, each of them requires individual approach in treatment.

Types of speech disorders

1. Aphasia. This type is characterized by a violation of speech itself, in which a person is not able to reproduce even the most elementary words. Aphasia is manifested by the lack of the ability to recognize speech in any of its manifestations. But the patient is still able to perceive individual sounds and words. In addition, a person after a stroke is not able to reproduce even the simplest words, since an important impulse is missing in the main sections of the neocortex. There is another variation of this form - total aphasia. Its difference lies in the fact that the patient can neither speak nor realize the semantic meaning of words spoken by other people.
2. Dysarthria. In patients with a disease of this form, there is a violation of the pronunciation of words and sounds. Despite the fact that a person perfectly understands the speech of other people, besides, he has not lost the ability to write and read, he still cannot pronounce words correctly.

This is due to the fact that the muscles responsible for performing the speech function do not work as they should. In this case, there is a violation of articulation, which is caused by damage to the areas of the brain.

How to treat aphasia and dysarthria

Many people are very concerned about the question of how to restore speech after a stroke. Today, many specialists are working in this direction, so there are several ways to restore the lost ability to speak after a stroke.

Methods for the treatment of aphasia.

1. speech therapy method. For the treatment of the patient, various exercises are used to restore speech. During training, specialists often use melodic intonation therapy, which serves to activate the functions of the right hemisphere of the brain. Nowadays, this method is carried out using computer technology. When interacting innovative technologies and pharmacological methods, you can achieve the desired result and complete restoration of speech. With aphasia of a more severe level, specialists can prescribe a number of additional measures to return the damaged hemisphere of the brain to a normal state.
2. Surgical intervention. With the help of extra-intracranial microanastomosis, it is possible to perform revascularization of speech zones affected after a stroke. Thanks to this, the blood circulation of the brain improves and the state of nerve cells is optimized with the return of functional activity to them. EIKMA is appointed when other methods for restoring speech have not brought positive results or there is no possibility to carry out the necessary measures.
3. Physiotherapy procedures. These include electrical stimulation of speech muscles. This method is very effective in the presence of a diagnosis of motor aphasia, but so far it is not widely used. Therapy with acupuncture. You can correct articulation, as well as restore speech activity. Acupuncture is also prescribed for motor aphasia, but to date there is no information on its effectiveness.
4. It is possible to exercise visual control over speech using functional biofeedback, but a positive result with this method in patients with comprehension disorder is quite difficult to achieve.

Ways to treat dysarthria:

The basis of the treatment of dysarthria is teaching the stroke patient to re-pronounce the words. To do this, it is necessary to restore in memory the skills of the movable jaw and oral cavity. In order to restore speech with dysarthria, you must perform the following exercises:

1. Gymnastics for the tongue: alternate relaxation and tension of the tongue (sticking it out, resting your tongue on your teeth and making movements in a circle).
2. Visit a speech therapist who will prescribe the necessary measures for correction and restore swallowing function.
3. Therapy with drugs. These measures prevent the formation of complications and improve blood circulation.

Exercises that help restore speech

To restore speech after a stroke, you need to do the following exercises every day:

1. Pull out the lips with a tube, then relax. Execution time - 5 seconds, then - 2 seconds to rest, and the exercise begins again.
2. Grab the lower lip with your teeth, bite it slightly, then release and relax your lips. After that, grab your teeth and bite your upper lip a little. The exercise time is 5 seconds for each position.
3. Stick your tongue out as far as possible for three seconds, pull your neck after it, relax.
4. Alternately lick your lips, first in one direction, and then in the other, and so on several times. After that, the movement must continue in a circle.
5. Stick out your tongue for three seconds, having previously rolled it up. After that, you need to rest for three seconds.
6. It is necessary to tighten the tongue, touch its tip to the sky, then relax.
7. Singing gives a good effect. With this method, it is necessary for the patient to sing any of his songs as often as possible, he can try to sing along with them, repeating the endings or individual words in the song.
8. It is very good to use tongue twisters, pronouncing them together with the patient. They contribute to the speedy restoration of speech.

The main thing in the process of restoring speech is to remember that this process is lengthy and will require a lot of effort and patience. Try to make the patient see only a positive attitude and a good attitude towards yourself. Reassure your loved one that they are not a burden. He must feel your love for himself and that you are ready for anything for his recovery. This is the only way he can recover faster.

In order for a person to start talking again, it is important to follow all the instructions of a speech therapist and not self-medicate. If something did not work out right away, do not despair, every day you can notice new successes that will be an incentive for a speedy recovery.

Do not forget that in order to obtain the desired result, regularity and consistency are very important.

How to restore speech after a stroke

Ivan Drozdov 01.03.2018 0 Comments

Speech disorder (in medicine, this condition is referred to by the term " aphasia”) is one of the most severe and frequent consequences that develop after an attack of hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke. Its occurrence is associated with damage to the brain tissues responsible for the functioning of the speech center. Depending on the localization of the lesion, aphasia is classified into several types, each of which manifests itself in its own way. Restoration of speech after a stroke is possible if treatment is started in a timely manner and the recommendations of specialists are followed.

Speech disorders after a stroke: why does it happen?

Loss of speech that occurs after an attack of ischemia or hemorrhage indicates a lesion of the speech center located in the left hemisphere. In some cases, a speech disorder occurs when the cerebellum and other parts of the brain located in the region of the crown, temporal and frontal lobes are damaged.

Depending on the type of speech disorder and the brain centers affected by the stroke, there are types of aphasia:

• total - occurs immediately after the attack, while all the functions of speech and perception of what was said are violated;
• motor - speech is completely absent due to the defeat of Broca's area;
• sensory - the patient does not understand the speech addressed to him due to a disruption in the work of the center responsible for the perception of oral speech;
• amnestic - spontaneous speech is present, but the patient does not remember the name of objects, confuses letters in words;
• dynamic - due to damage to the brain tissues located in the back of the frontal lobes, the patient cannot formulate the essence of the statement in his mind and express it in oral speech.

Depending on which brain center is affected and what type of aphasia is diagnosed after a stroke, a speech restoration program is drawn up for the patient.

How to restore speech after a stroke

Restoring speech after a stroke is a long and laborious process that requires efforts not only from medical personnel but also directly from the patient and his immediate environment. In most cases, with sensory impairment of speech, the recovery process is slow and smooth, with motor aphasia - spontaneous bursts. For example, a patient may not show results in restoring speech for several months, after which they show an unexpected result and pronounce entire sentences.

The rehabilitation period for restoring speech after a stroke takes place in several stages, consisting of a set of the following activities:

• drug treatment for the speedy restoration of metabolic processes between damaged brain neurons;
• work with a speech therapist to develop the muscles responsible for pronunciation;
• work with a psychologist to overcome the psychological barrier associated with a sense of inadequacy and inferiority;
• independent exercises regularly performed at home;
• treatment with non-traditional methods - reflexology, acupuncture, etc.
• diet and daily routine.

In the process of restoring speech, the patient and his relatives should adhere to the following principles and rules:

• coordinate each action with the doctor;
• exclude communication of the patient with depressed people;
• limit the impact of irritating factors - loud sounds, crowded places;
• to ensure emotional peace during classes, turn on light music;
• do not focus the patient's attention on his time limitations.

It is extremely important to know the measure when performing rehabilitation measures. Both excessive workload and non-compliance with recommended measures can aggravate the patient's condition.

Working with a speech therapist

Classes with a speech therapist should begin immediately after the patient has regained consciousness and has been diagnosed with the type and severity of the speech disorder. The main result that the specialist aims at during work is the maximum restoration of the speech skills that the patient has before the hemorrhage or ischemic attack.

At the first meeting, the speech therapist assesses the degree of inhibition of speech functions, and also checks the patient's reaction to sound stimuli - a whisper, a voice. After that, the specialist develops an individual program for restoring speech, which is based on the following basic principles:

• The duration of the sessions at the initial stage is up to 15 minutes and their further gradual extension up to half an hour.
• The intervals between sessions are determined solely by the speech therapist, taking into account the patient's condition.
• Tasks are given to the patient according to the principle from easy to complex, taking into account the type of speech disorder.
• Working materials are selected taking into account the interests and topics that are significant for the patient.
• Use of music therapy if the patient has difficulty pronouncing words and completing sentences. In such cases, singing words from your favorite songs helps to lift your mood, relax the muscles responsible for the speech apparatus, and improve the clarity of pronunciation.
• The use of visual materials for diagnosed sensory aphasia in a patient. The patient is shown an image that needs to be described or the name of the objects indicated. If the patient's condition allows, then he can draw a picture or write its name.

• assimilation of words and sounds taken separately from the context and devoid of semantic load;
• setting excessively easy or disproportionately complex tasks to achieve the fastest result.

During a session with a speech therapist, there should be no distracting sounds from the TV or radio in the room. All actions of the specialist during the session should be accompanied by comments uttered in a calm and quiet voice.

Practical exercises for restoring speech after a stroke at home

The process of restoring speech includes not only classes with a speech therapist, but also the regular performance of therapeutic exercises to improve the functioning of the speech apparatus at home. A set of exercises, the frequency of their implementation and the degree of load is determined by the attending physician. To train the muscles responsible for pronunciation and diction, he can prescribe the following exercises and techniques:

• licking the lips with the tongue in a circular motion in different directions - repeat 2-3 times;
• alternately licking first the upper and then the lower lip - repeat the manipulations with each lip up to 10 times;
• simultaneously stretch the neck forward and stick out the tongue, linger for 2-3 seconds and return to the starting position for the same time - repeat 7-10 times;
• curl your lips into a tube, stretch them out as if for a kiss, linger for 5-7 seconds and relax - repeat 7-10 times;
• grab the lower lip with the upper lip, pull it down as much as possible for 3-5 seconds, then relax the muscles - repeat up to 10 times;
• with the lower lip, perform a similar exercise up to 10 times in relation to the upper one;
• with your tongue hanging out, try to reach as far as possible first to the tip of the nose, and then to the chin;
• stick out the tongue twisted into a tube from the mouth and put it back - repeat 5-7 times;
• without opening the lips, alternately touch the tongue to the hard (located closer to the teeth), and then the soft (located closer to the larynx) palate;
• with closed lips, open the teeth, and then make a circular movement of the tongue between them, first in one direction, then in the other;
• make hissing sounds, while sticking your tongue out of your mouth as much as possible;
• make "clattering" sounds, clicking the tongue across the palate;
• loudly “smack”, performing a kiss with your lips;
• smile, opening your lips as much as possible and baring your teeth, then repeat the exercise, leaving your lips closed.

Speaking tongue twisters and singing also contribute to the effective restoration of speech after a stroke. Important is the moral support and positive attitude of others, instilling faith in success and a speedy recovery.

Additional speech recovery methods

Additionally, to overcome speech disorders, the patient is prescribed a number of the following methods:

• taking medications to improve blood supply to the brain and restore the relationship between nerve tissues - nootropics, alpha and beta blockers, tranquilizers;
• physiotherapeutic procedures and non-traditional methods for relieving the tone of articulatory muscles - electrical stimulation, magnetic therapy, acupuncture;
• a neurosurgical operation to improve blood flow to the area of ​​the speech apparatus is performed extremely rarely;
• stem cell therapy to restore the integrity of nerve tissue damaged by a stroke.

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To effectively restore speech, the doctor selects an individual technique for each patient, taking into account the degree of damage to the nerve cells responsible for speech function.

The primary task after a stroke is the restoration of speech

Stroke is the third most common disease among people. Most often, this disease leads to disability.

But the disease is treated, as a result of which it is possible to reduce the negative consequences for the body. The success of therapy directly depends on the timely provision of assistance.

With proper treatment within an hour after an attack, disability can be prevented.

What are the causes of speech impairment?

The most severe consequence of a stroke is impaired speech function.

As a result, the possibility of communication between people is lost, and the first signs of depression begin to form in the patient.

The cause of speech impairment after a stroke is the defeat of the speech areas of the brain (Wernicke's and Broca's areas).

They are located in the posterior third of the superior and inferior temporal gyrus. If the defeat was inflicted on Broca's area, then the person loses speech completely, if Wernicke - speech becomes meaningless.

How not to oversleep all your life, or what is hypersomnia? How to avoid such a nuisance and what symptoms indicate pathological drowsiness?

Types of aphasia

Aphasia is a systemic violation of an already formed speech function.. Such a pathological process inflicts its negative impact on various forms of speech activity.

There are the following types of aphasia:

1. Motor Broca's area is affected. The result of this pathology is the complete absence of speech.
2. Acoustic-gnostic- Wernicke's area is affected. Violated analysis and synthesis, phonemic hearing, leading to the impossibility of understanding addressed speech.
3. Afferent motor- the lower parts of the postcentral cortex are affected. It is difficult for the patient to find a separate articular posture to reproduce the sound.
4. Amnestic-sematic- the posterior temporal and anterior parietal regions of the cerebral cortex are affected. The patient forgets phenomena and objects, there is a violation of the understanding of grammatical structures.
5. Dynamic- the posterior regions of the brain are affected. It is difficult for a person to build an internal program of statements and implement it in external speech.

Speech function is very important!

Restoring speech after a stroke is task number 1.

Of course, it is impossible to say with absolute certainty that it will be possible to restore the speech function completely.

The patient must perform a whole range of specially designed activities, and only after their clear implementation can we talk about noticeable results.

In order for the recovery period to pass very quickly, at first, classes with the patient should take place together with his relatives.

Then loved ones will be able to remember the necessary speech therapy classes and perform them at home.

The process of restoring speech function

In order to quickly restore speech after a stroke, it is necessary to involve not only doctors, but also the patient himself with his relatives in the process.

It is on this that it will depend on how quickly the recovery process will occur, and also whether the person will be able to return to normal life.

How to quickly and least painfully restore speech after a stroke?

For this, a whole range of activities has been developed:

• drug therapy;
• classes with a speech therapist;
• exercises;
• good care.

Visiting a speech therapist

The task of a speech therapist is to restore speech, based on the previous speech stereotypes that patients had before the stroke.

Here, the speech therapist learns the patient's reaction to weak stimuli: a quiet voice and a whisper.

The process should start with easy activities, gradually moving to more difficult ones. For each patient, an individual speech load is selected, taking into account the degree of speech impairment such as aphasia.

For example, in the first lesson, it will be easy for one person to name objects, and for another to communicate.

The first lessons for speech disinhibition should include material that is significant for the patient in terms of semantic and emotional content.

Music therapy has a very positive effect on a person's recovery. If it is difficult for the patient to finish the sentence started by the doctor, then you can let him listen and sing his favorite songs.

The important point remains to figure out the song that he likes the most. In the process of singing, he will begin to pronounce the words of the song oddly, but over time his speech will begin to acquire a clear character.

Such classes take place in a positive environment, so patients are happy to do them.

If a person has sensory aphasia, then visual materials are used. He is shown an image, and then they are offered to draw it and name the words denoting the object in the picture.

At the same time, the entire workflow should be accompanied by comments that are pronounced in a calm and quiet voice.

The first speech lessons after a stroke should not exceed 7-15 minutes. After two months, the duration can be increased to half an hour.

Be sure to control the speech load on hearing. The room should be quiet, so you need to turn off the radio or TV. Extraneous sounds exhaust and tire a person who has had a stroke.

Patient care at home

It is possible to conduct classes with the patient at home only after the approval of the doctor has been obtained.

It is very important not to harm: not to give excessive speech load or complex exercises, otherwise the patient's optimism can be destroyed.

There are cases when close people do not have enough patience, they want to hear intelligible and intelligible speech soon.

The failure of the patient causes them disappointment, which immediately affects their facial expressions. A person who has had a stroke loses a positive attitude and may in the future completely abandon classes.

Effective Exercises

To restore speech at home, special exercises are used, for a healthy person they will seem very simple, but one must understand that it is very difficult for a patient to even move his lips after a stroke.

Perform the following set of exercises:

Stem cell treatment

Such therapy is aimed at updating and restoring stroke-affected tissues and blood vessels. The role of stem cells is aimed at recognizing the affected foci and replacing dead neurons with healthy cells. nervous tissue.

The presented procedure includes the following action plan:

• using the patient's biomaterial, stem cells are isolated;
• the resulting material is grown to the required volume;
• stem cells are administered intravenously with an interval of 2 months twice.

After such therapy, it is possible to restore the integrity of the brain tissue and its functioning, normalize the protective functions of the body, improve well-being, increase vitality.

Other Methods

Other methods of therapy can also restore speech function in a person, which can only be prescribed by an experienced specialist. In this case, the following treatment can be carried out:

1. Physiotherapy. It consists in electrical stimulation of speech muscles. It is advisable to use it in motor aphasia. But today this method of treatment has not received such wide application.
2. Acupuncture. It is used to correct articulation and improve the link of speech activity. It is advisable to use such therapy for motor aphasia.
3. Functional biofeedback. This method is based on visual control of the activity of speech muscles. The use of functional biofeedback for patients with comprehension disorder is not recommended. After such events, it is possible to improve the link of speech function.

Difficulties of rehabilitation

Restoring speech function after a stroke is a very time-consuming and complex process.

But such rehabilitation is mandatory, since only in this way will it be possible to restore the patient's normal communication with the people around him, to ensure psychological comfort and return the person to his former life.

If the lesion is small, then rehabilitation is fast. It is enough to spend several sessions with a speech therapist for a month and speech will again become coherent. In parallel, other body functions are restored with the help of exercise therapy.

In other cases, maximum efforts will have to be made to restore speech function. Here you need to constantly engage in, the duration of rehabilitation can be delayed from 4 months to 2 years.

A stroke is a very dangerous disease, the consequence of which is a violation of speech function, articulation. But to return speech after a stroke is possible only with constant classes.

The recovery rate depends on various factors: the degree of damage, the type of aphasia.

With stroke, the speech centers are almost always affected. Damage is different: in some patients, diction suffers only slightly, others completely lose the ability to pronounce words. Speech recovery after a stroke is started early in treatment to prevent persistent speech impairment.

Why is the ability to speak lost?

In a stroke, the blood supply to the cerebral structures is cut off and the brain cells die. When the lesion affects the speech centers, diction develops or aphasia develops, when a person completely loses the ability to speak.

Second, less dangerous cause, is paralysis of the facial muscles. People lose the ability to speak normally due to the fact that half of the language "does not obey" and a full-fledged articulation is not obtained.

According to the nature of the violations that have arisen, several types of aphasia are distinguished:

• Total. Stroke patients do not speak and do not understand the words addressed to them. Consciousness is confused, complete amnesia is possible.
• Touch. Develops with damage to the temporal lobes (Wernick's center). The person can partially talk, but do not understand the meaning of the words.
• Motor. The brain centers are not disturbed, problems with articulation appeared due to paralysis of the tongue and face.
• Amnestic. It is similar in manifestations to sensory, but patients lose the ability to recognize the names of objects.
• Semantic. People cannot understand complex sentences and communicate using short, simple phrases.

The method of restoring speech after a stroke is selected taking into account the mechanism of the disorder. Motor aphasia is easily eliminated, but the total loss of speech requires a complex rehabilitation program and is rarely successful.

Methods for restoring impaired speech functions

With aphasia after a stroke, therapeutic measures begin when the threat to life disappears and the patient's condition becomes stable. With an ischemic attack, if speech disorders appear, treatment is carried out from 1-3 days, and when a cerebral hemorrhage occurs - for 5-7 days.

Early start of classes will help to quickly return speech and preserve the patient's ability to fully communicate.

The recovery technique is selected individually, taking into account the mechanism of aphasia and the focus of damage to brain structures.

Methods for restoring speech after a stroke depend on the stage of the post-stroke period. At an early stage:

• drug therapy;
• massage;
• sessions with a speech therapist.

But in the hospital they only outline the ways of recovery, and further therapeutic measures will be carried out at home. Relatives of the patient are told in detail: what to do to restore speech.

Is it possible to restore speech functions completely?

At the time of discharge, neurologists cannot give an accurate prognosis. The success of rehabilitation measures carried out at home depends not only on the severity of brain damage, but also on the regularity of the exercises. The psychological mood of the patient also plays an important role - you need to help the person believe that he will be able to talk normally again.

Medical therapy

Preparations for restoring speech after a stroke at an early stage are used to limit the lesion and improve the nutrition of the nervous tissue. Patients are prescribed:

• nootropics (stimulate regeneration and help restore the functions of brain cells);
• antihypertensive drugs (required for critical rises in blood pressure);
• blood-thinning drugs (reducing blood viscosity improves cerebral circulation);
• diuretics (used to reduce swelling of the brain tissue).

Additionally, to stimulate recovery processes, the following can be used:

• Gliatilin;
• Ceraxon;
• Actovegin;
• Mexidol.

Medicines can reduce the severity of brain disorders, but medicines alone are not enough to restore speech function.

Exercises to improve diction

Before conducting exercises to restore speech, you should remember a few rules:

1. From simple to complex. No need to force things, you need to start with simple movements of the lips and tongue.
2. Praise for the slightest success. If a stroke patient believes in himself, then the restoration of speech will be more successful.
3. Avoid overwork. If a person is tired or has lost interest, then it is better to postpone the lesson.

The first exercises for the development of speech are carried out under the supervision of a speech therapist in stationary conditions. During this period, the nature of the deviations that have arisen is assessed, effective exercises are selected that must be performed at home. But you should not get carried away: to achieve success, it is enough to do the proposed movements 5-10 times daily.

• Fold your lips into a tube and exhale the air, making the sound "U".
• Bit your teeth first on the lower and then on the upper lip. Helps restore tactile sensations. Bite lightly without damaging tissue. With a strong disorder of sensitivity on the face, the exercise is not recommended.
• Smile, trying to make the corners of the mouth rise symmetrically.
• Stick out rolled up tongue
• Smack your lips.
• Run your tongue over your teeth and soft palate, lick your lips.
• Slowly inflate and deflate the cheeks, trying to keep the air in the paralyzed and healthy part of the lips.

Massage

When speech is impaired after a stroke, the patient has additional disorders:

• salivation;
• "Sagging" cheeks and corner of the mouth;
• problems with eating (during chewing, food falls out of the mouth).

Massage procedures will help improve muscle tone and restore impaired facial expressions. After reducing the severity of paresis, it will become easier for a stroke patient to pronounce words.

Points on the face and tongue are massaged (the location must be clarified with a specialist), soft stroking and rubbing of the cheeks, forehead and chin is carried out.

Tongue twisters for restoring speech

Parents remember that children with slurred speech were selected tongue twisters to improve the articulation of sound. Restoration of the diction of adults is carried out in a similar way. When choosing tongue twisters to restore speech after a stroke, one must be guided by the following rules:

1. Start simple. First, choose short ones, from 1-3 sentences, causing moderate difficulty in pronunciation.
2. Add letters gradually. First you need to achieve articulation of 1-2 sounds, and then add the next. A large speech therapy load will cause an overstrain of the speech apparatus in an adult.
3. Add an element of the game to the lessons. The mechanical pronunciation of words will help less than the joint learning of tongue twisters. If the family has Small child, who does not pronounce words well, then a good option would be to simultaneously learn rhymes with a baby and with a relative who had a stroke.

Note! To train the work of the lips, tongue twisters with the sounds “B”, “P”, and for the tongue - “L” and “V” are most suitable. Examples are shown below.

With the sound "B":

• White snow, white chalk, white hare is also white. But the squirrel is not white - it was not even white.
• The bull is stupid, stupid bull, the bull's white lip was stupid.

With the sound "P":

• I went to weed the fields in the field.
• Pyotr Petrovich, nicknamed Perov, caught a pigalitsa bird; carried it around the market, asked for a fifty, gave a nickel, and he sold it like that.

With the sound "L":

• Have you watered the lily? Have you seen Lydia? They watered Lily, saw Lydia.
• We ate, ate ruff at the spruce. They were barely eaten at the spruce.

With the sound "V":

• Vavila was wet with a wet wind.
• It is not clear whether the shares are liquid or not liquid.

Problems with speech after a stroke will disappear sooner if a person recites rhymes or rhymes from time to time. As articulation is trained, a person will have the correct speech, facial expressions will improve, self-confidence will appear.

The use of folk remedies

In addition to massage and speech therapy gymnastics doctors recommend using herbal medicine. Decoctions and infusions from the following plants will help well:

• pine cones;
• viburnum;
• thyme;
• juniper;
• rose hip;
• strawberry;
• calendula.

Coniferous baths have a restorative effect. The essential oils contained in the needles improve muscle mobility and improve a positive attitude. If there are contraindications for taking a general bath, you can do foot baths.

Help speech therapist after a stroke

The work of a speech therapist after a brain stroke is as follows:

• assessment of speech disorders;
• selection of tactics to eliminate speech deviations;
• correction of exercises taking into account progress in the restoration of speech.

A speech therapist after a stroke with speech disorders becomes one of the important doctors to ensure full rehabilitation.

A session with a speech therapist for bedridden patients is carried out at home, and for patients who are able to move around, a visit to the clinic is recommended. Most specialized institutions have a speech therapist for adults who helps to eliminate speech deviations. An additional plus for a stroke patient will be a change of impressions and a possible participation in group classes with “comrades in misfortune”.

A speech therapist for adults after a stroke is needed to avoid persistent speech disorders. The sooner recovery measures begin, the more likely the patient is to start talking normally.

Auxiliary tools

Today, there are applications for smartphones and tablets that can help people whose speech is difficult to understand or who cannot speak at all.

As an example, the application "Understand me". The program interface consists of intuitive icons with a signature in Russian. With their help, you can form understandable short sentences. The video below shows how the app works.

The program is offered in two versions: free and paid. You can download and install the Android app from Google Play using the links below:

• https://bit.ly/2ryWq4f - free version;
• https://bit.ly/2PAJqob - paid.

The free version of the program is very limited in functionality. But with the help of it you can conclude whether it suits you or not.

The price of the paid version is quite symbolic. On the this moment it is only 51 rubles.

Restoration of speech after a stroke is one of the most important tasks in the rehabilitation of the patient. It is important not to postpone this process until later: the later you start, the less chance of success. And it is better if the restoration of speech in the patient is immediately approached competently.

In this article, we will look at the necessary stages of rehabilitation and all the ways to restore speech after a stroke, which are possible.

If suddenly there was a stroke

What happens during a stroke? The blood circulation in various parts of the brain is damaged to one degree or another, the nervous system suffers, the connection with the brain is damaged. A person is deprived of many possibilities of his body, which he had not thought about before.

A stroke ruthlessly divides a person's life into "before" and "after". At best, these are minor changes in memory, in speech, in movement. And if treatment and rehabilitation are carried out in time and correctly, a person will quickly recover and return to normal life.

But there is also a complete loss of all these and some other functions of the body. And then the person will never be the same. This is a tragedy for himself and for his loved ones.

In this situation, panic should not be allowed. You need to be patient and take all possible ways to help the patient as much as possible. After all, he has to learn to live again.

What is necessary for successful recovery of the patient after a stroke:

• Of course, medication prescribed by a doctor. It stimulates impaired cerebral circulation. It is important to carry it out constantly.
• Recovery of motor functions. It requires physiotherapy exercises, physiotherapy, it is possible to use special simulators to restore the sensitivity of paralyzed limbs.
• Work on the restoration of speech, memory, the ability to read and write, the perception of reality. Without the help of a speech therapist and a properly built system of classes, one cannot do here.
• A comfortable climate in the family, the psychological attitude of the patient himself, as well as his relatives, a lot of patience and optimism.

Speech impairment in stroke

Stroke can be hemorrhagic or ischemic. With a hemorrhagic stroke, too much blood flows to the brain, there may be ruptures of the arteries, and with an ischemic stroke, on the contrary, not enough blood flows to the brain.

Hemorrhagic stroke is less common, but causes more serious consequences for the patient. But in both cases, a person may have impaired areas of the brain responsible for speech.

If speech fails, then violations have occurred in the left hemisphere of the brain. With such a stroke, the right side is paralyzed and speech is absent.

Strokes with paralysis on the right side occur more often than on the left. And this is better for the patient, since in this case it is easier to make a diagnosis, since speech disorders are always manifested.

Such disorders are called aphasia. In this case, violations can occur in different parts of the brain. Depending on this, the consequences may be different. How to restore speech after an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke?

Let's deal with the types of aphasia and their consequences:

• Amnestic. A person can communicate, but periodically forgets the names of the objects he is talking about.
• Semantic. In this case, the patient should only be spoken to simple sentences, complex he simply will not understand.
• touch. complex view aphasia, in which the patient does not understand speech at all. It boils down for him to a set of sounds. At the same time, he practically cannot understand the meaning of what was said.
• Motor. A person understands everything, but cannot say anything coherently, confuses sounds and words, or hangs on one sound combination.
• Total. The patient does not understand anything, does not recognize anyone, cannot say anything. Most often, this phase occurs immediately after a stroke. After a while, she can go into the engine room.

Can speech recover after a stroke?
and how fast will it happen?

No one can give a 100% guarantee that the patient will be able to speak at all. But if you act quickly, correctly, follow all the recommendations of specialists, create an atmosphere of patience, love and care around a sick relative, support him as much as possible in his desire to recover, then he has a much better chance of quickly recovering his speech loss.

Simple speech problems are solved in 2-6 months by performing special regular training and classes. If the degree of violation is greater, then more time will be required.

Sometimes this can take up to several years. A forecast of 5-10 years is considered a period after which changes for the better are hardly possible. However, miracles of recovery happen, but they most often lie in the realm of non-material reality.

People say "Houses and native walls heal." This is to the question of how relatives of a stroke patient should behave. The first questions they ask the doctor are: “Does speech recover after a stroke? Is it possible to restore speech after a stroke? How long does it take for speech to recover after a stroke? Relatives can be understood. But a lot depends on their behavior, on their actions.

• The patient must feel that his family needs him, that he is valuable to her, that his relatives believe in him, love him, sincerely wish his recovery and have no doubt about it. In this case, he will have additional motivation to get back on his feet as quickly as possible. So, there will be energy for this.
• With the patient and in his presence, you need to constantly talk. Then he will feel his involvement in the family. But most importantly: if the topic is important to him, he will try to speak.
• It is good if his favorite music, songs that he used to sing, will sound in the house. The inner desire to sing along can well stimulate his speech impulses to awaken.
• But it is better to remove excess noise, variety and loudness of sounds so as not to overload the patient. You need to talk with him quietly, calmly, without explosive emotions. Surround him with your kindness. At the same time, it is not necessary to emphasize every time that he is terminally ill.
• Relatives need to have maximum patience, since it is they who should become constant assistants for the patient when performing the exercises that the speech therapist will show. And in no case do not react with irritation if the exercise cannot be done in any way.

What to do if speech loss occurs during a stroke

How to return speech after a stroke? Immediately after the first necessary assistance to the patient, it is important to contact a speech therapist.

Only this specialist will be able to correctly assess the degree of speech damage and draw up an effective set of measures for its restoration. The main task of such a complex is to restore speech breathing, voice, articulation, intonation, timbre.

How to restore speech after a stroke at home? Do not self-medicate in this case. Only after the exercises and massages shown by the speech therapist, it will be possible to regularly perform them independently at home with the help of relatives.

Speech therapy exercises to restore speech after a stroke at home

Let us now consider what methods a specialist can offer to restore the patient's speech, and how they should be applied.

Articulation-breathing exercises

First, a person is invited to simply breathe, then, while exhaling, pronounce certain consonant sounds, one sound per exhale. After that, on the exhale, all these sounds are pronounced in a row. There are no more than four of them. Sounds can be pronounced on exhalation also with a raised chin.

Articulation exercises after a stroke

It includes exercises for the tongue, lips, voice, facial muscles.

Exercises for the tongue and soft palate

1. Stick your tongue out of your mouth and hold it there for a few seconds.
2. Pull down again and bend up, hold it a little.
3. Pull down and direct it first to the right corner of the mouth, then to the left.
4. Move the tip of your tongue across the sky back and forth.
5. Direct the tongue to the right and left cheek.
6. Click your tongue, first one, then two, then three.
7. Relax your tongue and, moving it back and forth, lightly bite your teeth.
8. Lick your lips first in one direction, then in the other.

Lip exercises

1. Move lips forward.
2. Fold into a smile with your mouth closed.
3. Bare your teeth and lift your upper lip, hold for a couple of seconds.
4. Inflate your cheeks and shake the air from side to side, roll the air over your mouth.
5. Relax your lips and blow through the gap in them.

Performed speech gymnastics with ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke.

1. We pronounce separately all vowel sounds, first long, then short, on the exhale. After that, on the exhale, we pronounce all the sounds in a row.
2. We say the sound Y only articulatory, without sound, and feel the tension under the chin.
3. We pronounce all vowel sounds in a row with flowing one into another, alternately stressing different sounds.
4. We pronounce consonant sounds, first deaf, separately, then one after the other on one exhalation. After that we pronounce ringing sounds in the same way. We add consonants with vowels into certain syllables, while alternating paired deaf and voiced consonants.

All combinations of sounds, their permutations and combinations are determined by the speech therapist.

Exercises for tongue twisters after a stroke

First, we ask the patient to finish the tongue twister known to him, gradually increasing the number of words he said. If possible, we bring the exercise to perfection.

Exercises for the facial muscles of the face

1. Eyebrows raise, lower, frown, relax.
2. Open your mouth wide, try to stretch it, then relax.
3. Smile without opening your mouth.
4. Inflate and deflate cheeks.
5. Pull your lips out for a kiss.
6. Extend the tongue as far as possible from the mouth.
7. Move the lower jaw gently to the left, then to the right, then in a circle.

Speech therapy massage after a stroke

After the completed set of exercises, it is necessary to apply a facial massage to each part of the face.

It is important that massage movements are selected only by a specialist. Some areas of the face will need to be relaxed, and some toned. If you approach this on your own, you can cause irreparable harm.

In addition to massaging the muscles of the face directly, they massage the tongue, lips, the inner surface of the cheeks, ears, scalp, and hands. All this relieves muscle stiffness and thus liberates speech.

Features of the doctor's work with the patient

Other methods of restoring speech after a stroke

Music therapy

It often happens that it is difficult for a person who has had a stroke to speak, but he can sing. Then all speech therapy exercises with sounds, syllables, words are performed like a song.

Facial reflexology.

Biologically active points on the face are affected in a certain way.

Stem cell treatment.

When such cells are introduced into the affected tissues, their integrity can be restored.

Acupuncture.

This method is used mainly for motor aphasia. Thus, the speech activity of a person is corrected.

Conclusion and Conclusions

And in conclusion, I would like to emphasize the most important points that should not be forgotten when restoring speech in a patient after a stroke:

• This is a quick response to the problem and not postponing rehabilitation measures for later,
• moderation in everything
• gradual increase in workload,
• obligatory appeal to a speech therapist, and possibly to a defectologist,
• strict adherence to all their instructions,
• great patience and the creation of the most friendly atmosphere in the house.

Stroke is a serious disease, but with this approach it is much easier to overcome.

• Massage for speech rehabilitation

A stroke causes serious brain damage. Depending on the location of the lesion, the patient has atrophy of the optic nerve, loss of speech and motor function. The resulting speech disorders can be temporary or chronic.

The optimal recovery time is the first few days after the attack. The course of therapy depends on the type of aphasia. When deciding how to restore speech after a stroke, a neurologist, in close cooperation with a speech therapist, selects the most effective treatment, depending on the type of impairment.

Why do people lose the ability to speak when they have a stroke?

Loss or impairment of speech due to a stroke is called aphasia. The cause of pathological changes is an acute violation of the blood supply to the brain, causing tissue atrophy, especially of the departments directly responsible for the perception of information.

Lack of speech is observed immediately after the attack. Localization of the lesion is concentrated in the cortical lobes of the prefrontal areas. Atrophy and necrotic manifestations are irreversible. Therefore, in order to restore speech impairment after a stroke, it will take a long period of time for speech functions to learn to perform undamaged parts of the brain.

How long does speech recovery take?

The period of time during which the patient learns to speak again depends on the type of aphasia, as well as the location and extent of the cerebrovascular accident. The speed of first aid also affects the prognosis of rehabilitation. It is necessary to develop speech as early as possible.

It is customary to distinguish several types of disorders, depending on the stage of development of the pathology:

• Total aphasia - occurs in the first few days after a stroke. At this moment, the patient does not understand the direct appeal, does not remember anything or anyone.
• Motor aphasia after a stroke - under favorable circumstances, total disorders are replaced by motor dysfunction. At this stage, the patient understands the speech addressed to him, but is not able to answer; at best, confused speech may come from the patient.


• Sensory aphasia - a feature of impaired speech functions is the complete or partial inability to sound analysis speech. The patient ceases to recognize syllables and sounds, does not understand the meaning individual words and offers. Even the native speech for the victim sounds like a foreign language.

When diagnosing disorders, a medical protocol is drawn up for studying the speech of a patient who has had a stroke. The information recorded in the medical history greatly facilitates further therapy. According to the records, it is possible to trace trends in the improvement of the patient's well-being and, if necessary, adjust the approach to treatment.

How and how to treat speech impairment after a stroke

Speech therapists are involved in the correction of speech disorders. When prescribing therapy, the specialist focuses on the results of preliminary examinations. Thus, patients who are paralyzed on the left side of the body have a more favorable treatment prognosis. Usually, paralysis occurs in a mirror image of the damaged area of ​​the brain. Consequently, the brain tissues responsible for speech, and located in the left hemisphere, remained intact.

The right-sided paralysis testifies to the defeat of the speech center of the brain. Therefore, patients who are paralyzed on the right side have a poorer prognosis.

The timing of speech restoration directly depends on the degree of brain tissue damage and the location of the hemorrhage. Speech therapy is prescribed immediately after the patient has regained consciousness. Early treatment increases the chances of a full recovery.

Preparations for restoring speech

The recovery time of speech after a stroke can be reduced to a minimum if you start classes with a speech therapist as early as 1-3 weeks after the attack. Simultaneously with speech therapy, special exercises and techniques, medications are prescribed that improve speech.

The course of therapy is aimed at restoring the functions of damaged tissues. New methods of speech therapy for post-stroke patients include the use of several therapeutic techniques at once to support the patient:

Elimination of violations of extended phrasal speech, even after discharge, takes place exclusively under the guidance of a speech therapist. The use of music therapy and the regular use of nootropic protectors bring good results. Sudden slowing of speech during the recovery period may indicate a second stroke. Hospitalization and additional examination by a specialist are necessary.

How to return speech folk remedies

In most cases, speech recovery after a stroke is observed at home. And this happens unexpectedly, both for the patient himself and his close relatives.

Using the following traditional medicine recipes will help to quickly restore speech after a stroke:

Traditional medicine methods are aimed at restoring the function of brain tissues. Since some herbs and plants have contraindications, you should consult your doctor before use.

Massage for speech rehabilitation

Speech therapy work with patients who have had a stroke includes not only work to restore lost speech functions.

Hemorrhage leads to atrophy of the muscular system. Often the patient has numbness of the tongue. The speech therapist conducts regular stimulation of all speech zones. The tongue during a stroke may take an incorrect anatomical position, which will make it impossible for the patient to pronounce sounds.

Regular sessions of speech therapy massage contribute to the rapid recovery of the patient.

What exercises can restore the ability to speak

After discharge, you will need to continue to perform articulation exercises. Practical speech therapy classes to restore speech at home will help to gradually improve the patient's condition, even in cases where the result was not obvious during drug therapy and speech therapy sessions.

Exercises for speech recovery and development after a stroke include the following:

Tongue twisters for people after a stroke

Speaking tongue twisters is strongly associated with childhood. Surprisingly, this technique is used not only by a children's speech therapist. Tongue twisters are used to develop speech.

The selection of texts is best left to the attending physician. He will be able to pick up phrases that help restore the mobility of the tongue and improve the patient's diction.

Tongue twisters are usually aimed at pronouncing a certain letter from the alphabet. When choosing phrases for the development of speech, a speech therapist will select the most suitable ones, taking into account existing diction defects.

An optimistic attitude and close adherence to the recommendations, both by the patient and his relatives, significantly improves the chances of a complete restoration of lost speech functions. Don't expect quick results. It is better to gradually move towards your goal, rejoicing at any success.

ponchikov.net

Statistics know and warn

What is it, a stroke, how does it occur and, accordingly, what can be done to prevent it? For the normal functioning of the brain, it is necessary to provide it with sufficient oxygen. And it is delivered to the organs by blood. If there is a blockage or rupture of blood vessels, the cells experience a lack of oxygen and die. But the brain is the regulator of certain functions of the body. For example, if the part of the brain responsible for the movement of the right hand turned out to be damaged, then this function will be violated.

More on prevention below. But why is the topic of timely and full recovery after a stroke so important?

In our country, this disease accounts for an average of 175 deaths for every 100,000 people. In absolute terms, the statistics are as follows: about half a million people suffer a stroke in Russia every year. And half of them die. Of the survivors, about 90% (even more) become disabled.

There are other impressive numbers: only 8 percent of the survivors of the “strike” are able to return to work. About 31 percent need help from other people, and 20 percent can't even walk on their own. The situation in the world as a whole is not much better: 6 million deaths per year and even more disabilities with paralysis of the limbs, severe impairment of speech and other functions.

Types of strokes, signs and basics of prevention

There are two main types of strokes:

• Ischemic is also called a cerebral infarction. It is expressed in the blockage of blood vessels, due to which the blood flow stops.
• Hemorrhagic is a non-traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage with rupture of the vessel. Blood in this case is poured into the brain tissue.

There are also special cases, much more rare: subarachnoid hemorrhage, atherothrombotic and hemodynamic stroke. I will only say a few words about the latter: usually problems occur at high pressure, but a hemodynamic stroke, on the contrary, occurs against the background of low blood pressure. All extremes are harmful!

How do you know if it's a stroke? There are several main features:

• Sharp weakness, feeling of numbness, impaired sensitivity, most often on one side of the body.
• Sudden facial asymmetry.
• Impaired speech and comprehension.
• Strong headache.
• Dizziness, incoordination, difficulty walking.
• Severe blurred vision, double vision.

The main rule: do not delay contacting a doctor, call ambulance otherwise the risk of death or disability increases dramatically. Help should come in the first 2-3 hours. Everything is written in detail in the article First Aid for a Stroke.

Risk factors for stroke, in addition to high blood pressure, are smoking, alcohol, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, arrhythmia.

Recovery process

How long does it take to recover and is it possible to recover after a stroke? It all depends on many factors. What is the type of stroke, how large is the area of ​​brain damage, what particular area was affected, how much time passed from the moment of the attack to getting to the hospital, was first aid professionally organized, etc.

Depending on the combination of different conditions, the process can take from 2-3 months to several years. Moreover, if brain damage turned out to be significant, then only a partial restoration of various functions is possible.

Recovery activities begin in a hospital setting. Then this concern is shifted to the shoulders of relatives. You will have to restore the blood supply to the limbs and the whole body, work on speech, develop mental abilities, learn to walk again, serve yourself at least at the level of the simplest skills: dress, hold a spoon, etc.

Competent recovery is always complex: massage and physiotherapy, the use of medicines and physiotherapy, acupuncture, exercise equipment and speech therapy, etc. It will be important to create a comfortable psychological environment, the moral support of loved ones. All this together will become methods of recovery after a stroke at home, and at the same time the prevention of recurrent attacks and complications.

Recovery of motor functions after a stroke

As soon as the days of the crisis pass, still within the walls of the hospital, work begins to restore the ability to move. What are the procedures after a stroke? Usually this is massage, electrophoresis, other physiotherapy, everything is used so that the muscles do not atrophy, the blood circulation does not stagnate.

A huge role in this process is given to physical therapy. Even lying down, the patient tries to make the simplest feasible movements. With the help of relatives and medical workers, he begins to turn from side to side, raise and lower his limbs, and perform other manipulations. If the lesion is small, the process goes faster, soon the patient is allowed to slowly get up by the bed, and then start moving around the ward with the help of a walker.

To regain the joy of movement is extremely important both physically and psychologically: if there are successes here, then the mood for further recovery will definitely appear. In addition, we should not forget about such physiological reactions as the accumulation of "hormones of joy" as a result of active movements.

It is more difficult for those whose brain damage turned out to be deep. There is a danger of bedsores, serious muscle atrophy, here the role of others is especially great. Relatives will have to help, take on the functions of "sisters of mercy".

And all this should be done in strict accordance with the recommendations of the doctor. Especially in terms of individual workload. It is harmful to feel sorry for the patient too much, but also to force events, to increase the load to an unbearable one, means to expose your loved one to the risk of a second stroke. With even worse consequences.

The doctor will give precise advice on those specific exercises that are most indicated in your individual case. He will tell you the dose, give other advice, will be in touch, you can and should contact him in case of difficulty.

Exercise therapy (physiotherapy exercises) after a stroke. Exercise at home. Video

And now I suggest you watch a set of exercises for recovery after a stroke in the video. The physical therapy doctor tells what exercises to do at home if the patient can already sit and the first movements of the limbs appear.

The main devastation - for sure, in the heads!

And about the individuality of the loads and the reaction of the body in general, I will tell you such a real case.

I came to visit a relative in the department of vascular pathologies. Her neighbors in the ward turned out to be a colorful grandmother of 84 years old and a woman of 50 years old. The mature lady constantly whined, pestered her relatives, demanding regular offerings and unrealistic manifestations of care. She got both the roommates and the medical staff with constant whims and reproaches. She was carried home on a stretcher. The nannies and sisters breathed a sigh of relief and crossed themselves.

Grandma had a crisis a couple of days after admission. I won’t retell the details, there’s little pleasant, take my word for it: almost everyone, including the grandma’s daughters, was sure: that’s it, she won’t get up in the morning. Morning came, my grandmother sat on the bed and loudly indignant: “Well, where are they, they promised the soup, and they don’t carry it!” And tried to get up to the window. Then she joked, talked about her turbulent youth and made plans for the next summer season. She went home on her own feet, albeit with crutches.

Speech recovery after a stroke. Exercises

How to work with speech? The situation is even more difficult with the restoration of speech and thought processes after a stroke. All this takes several years, and is not always completely successful. Here, as in the case of motor skills, persistent, long-term work is required, a system is needed. Not classes in fits and starts, occasionally, namely systematic work.

Nerve cells have a high inertia, it will not be easy to “stir up” those located in the area of ​​the affected speech center. This needs to be understood, to be realistic. What can be advised from the exercises?

Just talk, try to pronounce phrases, individual words and even sounds. And then recite verses and turn to other more complex speech constructions.

No need to start with tongue twisters and simply complex structures, the restoration should proceed logically. How do we deal with young children? We learn the alphabet, try to hone individual hard-to-pronounce sounds, then read by syllables, and only then we master whole words and sentences. So here, the principle is the same.

The skill will return sooner if you try to sing the right phrases. Or just sing your favorite hits, so speech is born more naturally, easily.

Sometimes you will need the help of a speech therapist who will help you do special exercises of the speech apparatus to restore the necessary functions. So, curling the lips into a tube is useful; moving the tongue back and forth, licking the lips with the tongue in a circle, etc.

We solve memory problems

Recovery and improvement of memory after a stroke is not an easy, but very important task. It is necessary to start this work as early as possible, as soon as the risk of a second stroke is removed.

First of all, doctors resort to the help of modern medicines, which are designed to support the affected neurons. To do this, patients are prescribed intravenous administration of nootropics, that is, those drugs that can significantly improve metabolic processes in the medulla and in parallel positively affect memory.

At the stage of outpatient treatment, these drugs continue to be taken, only in the form of tablets. The most commonly prescribed, they are also the most effective nootropics are thiocetam, piracetam, phezam, lucetam, nootropil. Their action is not fast, a long course of treatment with a gradual accumulation of results is necessary. Therefore, a big mistake is made by patients who stop taking medications shortly after discharge. The course, as a rule, is 3 months, and then, after a short break, it should be repeated.

Functional restorative treatment is also important. This is a constant training of mental skills, especially the ability to memorize. It is useful to memorize phone numbers, poems, various board games puzzle type. At the same time there will be fine motor skills hands develop, and speech functions improve.

Overcoming depression

Perhaps the most important and most difficult aspect of stroke recovery is overcoming stressful situation. Especially when the attack happened at working age. A person at full speed is forced to stop. Loses working skills, and at the same time self-confidence. Depression sets in, sometimes very deep.

And not always everything “dissolves” by itself. And even the constant support of loved ones is not a guarantee of success, although it is extremely important. You have to seek professional support from a specialist, psychologist or psychiatrist.

And again here I am talking about the mood of my relatives, about the need to be patient. It sometimes seems to us that tearfulness or aggressiveness, sudden mood swings, irritability are the whims of the patient. But these are natural consequences of brain damage, that's what you need to know and not forget.

After the first energetic emotional reaction, apathy often sets in. As they say, hands down, you don’t want to do anything, a person is indifferently waiting for that somehow everything will resolve itself sooner or later. This is the most negative scenario, it is difficult to convince such an Oblomov, to encourage him to train, to engage in self-development. What for? He assures himself and those around him that he cannot return his former health and ability to work, but does not consider it necessary to constantly strain so that his arms, legs, and brain work at least halfway.

It is especially difficult for those who have worked hard, used to be responsible for themselves and loved ones. Not everyone is able to overcome this crisis with a painful “breaking” of self-esteem. We will have to connect both specialists and antidepressants.

What will improve your mood? The same physical activity, feasible chores around the house, cottage, communication with children and grandchildren, communication. It’s great if colleagues don’t forget, they will at least call, consult, sometimes drop by for a visit. Water procedures, walks, communication with nature, reading, playing with grandchildren - everything works in the complex. The main thing is not to lose the feeling of being needed, not to feel like a burden.

Motivation can be a hobby for which there was never enough time. Let's say fishing. One, of course, cannot be let go, even if walking has become better. But a family “outing” with fishing rods can be a great session of psychotherapy. Someone will begin to learn how to weave baskets, make toys, or master other folk crafts.

Again, this needs to be done all the time. Recovery after a stroke is not just a lengthy process, it is a lifelong one. If you are not afraid of this, tune in to the positive, you can long years live fully, interestingly, learn new things and please loved ones, enjoying life yourself.

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It should be noted that this process is not simple. Stem cells are widely used in modern medicine in this direction. In addition, the restoration of nerve impulses takes place during classes with a speech therapist.

Stem cell applications

Is it possible to restore speech after a stroke using stem cells? Modern medicine proves that with such therapy, the body receives additional mental strength, a person's desire for recovery increases, and his mood improves. This method has the maximum effectiveness if it was applied in the first days after the stroke occurred.

How to restore speech after a stroke with stem cells? This procedure is performed on an outpatient basis. Two procedures are required, between which there must be a three-month rest. Treatment begins with the restoration of blood vessels. Procedures are carried out to eliminate ischemia, atherosclerosis and thrombosis, spasms are eliminated.

The vessels acquire elasticity, the thickness of their walls and the channels themselves are optimized. In those areas where the vessel was clogged and torn, new collateral pathways begin to form.

Speech after a stroke

The timing of the restoration of speech function is closely related to the area of ​​damage to the nerve cells in the cerebral cortex that are responsible for speech. The more extensive the damage to the brain, the slower the ability to speak is restored. If in a year there is still hope to return the lost speech, then over time the pace of rehabilitation slows down.

The body of a person who has had a stroke gradually adapts to the remaining defects in speech. Therefore, the surrounding people should show understanding. In no case should the patient be allowed to withdraw into himself and be isolated from people. To restore the lost function, a person must communicate more, take part in various discussions, and perform simple exercises.

Types of speech disorders after a stroke

Any type of speech disorder after a stroke can be gradually eliminated. In order for rehabilitation to be successful and fast, it is necessary to understand the specifics of the defect and choose the right treatment technique. There are disorders such as sensory and motor aphasia.

With motor aphasia, speech is perceived by the patient by ear and is even understandable to him. However, it is a great difficulty for a person to pronounce words independently or formulate thoughts. The patient has difficulty reading and writing. Most often, these functions are completely lost.

What is sensory aphasia? The patient may mutter something incoherent, speech is not under his control. The reading skill is not lost, but the meaning of what is written is not clear to the patient. The ability to write words is completely absent.

As a result of a stroke, the patient's speech is characterized by confusion. When speaking, he gesticulates intensely, includes expressive facial expressions and many different intonations. A person tries to formulate his thoughts, but he does not succeed, since the correct pronunciation and selection of the right words is lost. The patient may show aggression, often crying. He is in a nervous state. After a stroke, adequate perception of the world around is lost.

How is speech recovery going?

How to restore speech after an ischemic stroke? After stabilization of the patient's condition, doctors advise to immediately begin activities that help restore speaking skills. In order for the pace of rehabilitation to be fast, a professional speech therapist should work with the patient, but the psychological support of relatives is also extremely important.

How to restore speech after a stroke? Exercises designed specifically for this purpose are widely used by speech therapists. The work of a specialist is based on the gradual return of the lost function through various tasks: working with cards, laying out a children's loto, pronouncing words in syllables and completely. The doctor can teach the patient to compensate for the lack of verbal expression with gestures.

Classes should not be suspended even if the desired effect is not achieved for a long time. Sooner or later, the persistent efforts of the doctor and the patient will give their results.

How to recover speech after a moderate stroke? Recommendations on how to conduct exercises to restore it are clear. The main goal of the training is to force the cells located in the affected area of ​​the brain to perform their lost functions. This is achieved through constant training. The patient needs to hear live speech. You should constantly communicate with him. This will help him start playing sounds.

As for the pronunciation of whole words, in the case of a complete lack of speaking skills, the patient is asked to pronounce individual sounds and syllables. For this purpose, a part of a word or phrase is said to a person. In this case, the endings do not agree. The patient must pronounce them himself.

Singing has a beneficial effect on the development of the ability to reproduce words. If you sing to the patient and invite him to sing along, then he will restore speech much faster. This method is different high level efficiency.

It is very important to restore the ability to pronounce sounds. Perhaps a person is able to talk, but due to a strong violation of the innervation of the facial and chewing muscles, they freeze.

Muscle Development Exercises

How to restore speech after a stroke? Mandatory development of facial muscles is required.

The patient is offered:

• fold lips into a tube;
• bare teeth;
• push the tongue forward as much as possible;
• lightly bite with the jaws either the upper or the lower lip;
• lick your lips with your tongue in both directions.

The work of a speech therapist

After the examination of the patient is carried out and the type of aphasia is determined, you should immediately begin classes with a speech therapist. It should be noted that in a third of people who have had a stroke, speech is completely restored at the time of discharge from the hospital. Of course, this is possible if the hospital has a speech therapist who conducts classes with the patient from the very first week of his illness.

What is speech therapy?

Speech therapy is a science that studies speech disorders, develops ways to overcome them and prevent them, using methods corrective work. Patients who, even after classes with a doctor, are discharged with severe speech impairment, with subsequent work carried out with regularity, can cope with the shortcomings and start working.

Methods used by speech therapists

From the very beginning, the speech therapist "thaws" the impaired speech functions on the basis of previous stereotypes. The doctor checks the patient's response to mild stimuli, such as muffled speaking. The work is built on the principle of increasing the level of tasks from easy to difficult.

This takes into account the important nuance that the selection of exercises is carried out individually, taking into account the degree of damage to the patient's speech apparatus. The type of aphasia is also taken into account.

It will be easy for one person to name objects, for another it will be easy to maintain a dialogue, etc. But you can’t constantly give easy tasks. Their complexity should steadily increase.

The first lesson should not be burdensome for the patient. At the beginning of rehabilitation, it is recommended to use material that has emotional significance for the patient. The corresponding semantic load is also selected.

What can not be offered at the initial stages of treatment?

Holding initial stages treatment is of great importance. It is not recommended to offer to work out individual words out of context and connect sounds. To restore speech by a speech therapist, all conditions must be created so that the patient can keep up the conversation as quickly as possible.

Application of singing

After a stroke, singing will help restore speech faster. Speech therapist classes with the inclusion of elements of music give positive results. If the patient finds it difficult to complete the sentence that the speech therapist began, then listening and singing favorite songs can be offered. It is necessary to find out what songs the patient likes and knows. In the process of singing, the words are first pronounced indistinctly by the patient. Gradually, their pronunciation improves. Such a task should proceed in a positive atmosphere. It brings pleasure to the patient.

Immediately after the patient can pronounce the words, he should be interested in self-study. For example, invite him to insert missing letters or prepositions into sentences.

What methods are used for people with sensory aphasia?

Visual aids are used for people with sensory aphasia. The patient is shown a picture that is proposed to be drawn if his condition allows it. Then the word symbolizing the image is called. All actions that are carried out by a speech therapist are accompanied by friendly calm comments: “Let's fix the pillow”, “Please raise your head”, “Now you can put your head on the pillow”. So you can restore speech after a stroke in the presence of sensory aphasia.

Patients with such a disorder have difficulty distinguishing similar-sounding words. A suitable exercise is the application of drawings. The patient must show the named object. For example, such pairs of consonant words are selected as “tom - house”, “point - kidney”, etc.

Lesson duration

The duration of classes and the intervals between them depend on the individual capabilities of the patient. The average is 7-15 minutes. After two months, exercises can be carried out for half an hour. You should also keep under control the load of the patient's speech and hearing apparatus.

The room should be quiet, the radio or TV should not be turned on.

Help of a speech therapist in the later stages

If the help of a speech therapist was not provided in the first weeks of the disease, then speech disorders are persistent. And in this case, it is possible to restore the lost function, but an aphasiologist who has his own methods should work with the patient.

Support for a person who has had a stroke

It is very important to maintain an optimistic mood in the patient. The hospital staff, the patient's relatives and the speech therapist should not let the person feel that he is disabled. Otherwise, a person will close in on himself and perceive the disease as a sentence. After a stroke, the emotional susceptibility of patients is too high. Affectionate treatment will be in this case the best assistant in restoring the lost ability to speak.

Is it possible to conduct independent classes under the guidance of loved ones?

How to restore speech after a stroke at home? Relatives can conduct independent classes only with the permission of a doctor. It is important not to overdo it here. Do not unnecessarily overload the patient or give him overwhelming tasks.

Relatives often do not have enough patience, and they want to achieve the desired result in a short time. Little success in recovery causes them disappointment, which is expressed in facial expressions and gestures. The patient, having caught such a reaction of loved ones, loses optimism and may subsequently refuse to undergo treatment. Therefore, the patient's relatives are not present at the lessons with the speech therapist.

Important Notes

To restore speech and memory after a stroke, it is recommended to persistently force the patient to pronounce the names of surrounding objects. It has been proven that patients remember objects better than actions.

When communicating with a person who has had a stroke, it is important to take into account that during a parallel conversation of several people, patients have difficulty distinguishing sounds and words.

Those who have had a stroke should not watch TV for more than 2 hours a day. Only calm interesting programs should be selected. For example, for sports fans, a sports program will encourage comments, which will have an impact on the restoration of speech.

Folk remedies

Can folk remedies restore speech after a stroke? A tried and tested method used by the people is the use of thinly sliced ​​or grated black radish. It should be kept in the mouth. In this case, a burning and tingling sensation occurs in the oral cavity. A compress is also made from radish. It is applied to the damaged facial nerve.

Conclusion

The article discussed how to restore speech after a stroke. This process is long and laborious. It requires the diligence of both the patient and the doctor. Patience, support of loved ones, a calm attitude and strict adherence to the doctor's recommendations will help a sick person cope with the disease.

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Only a specialist can more accurately determine the type of speech disorder and what kind of violation occurred in the body. As a rule, this is a professional speech therapist.

During the examination, the doctor can determine the following types of speech disorders:

In any form of post-stroke loss of speech, a speech therapist should be observed. The doctor will prescribe special exercises and tell you about effective methods for its recovery.

The speech therapist during the examination determines the type of general disorder and, on their basis, prescribes the appropriate options for the full restoration of speech.

The doctor will follow the dynamics of the process and make appropriate changes aimed at resolving the issue of how to return speech.

If the recovery processes are started in a timely manner, such unpleasant symptoms as the loss of the ability to speak and slurred speech disappear quickly enough, and the person begins to fully communicate with others.

With the question of whether it is possible to restore speech after a stroke, everything is clear, but it is quite possible. The next question asked by the patients themselves and their relatives is the beginning of the recovery process, that is, at what time should the speech recovery process begin.

It can be noted here that on average, quite a lot of time is spent on the complete or maximally partial restoration of speech after a stroke. In some cases, therapy takes several years, often a positive result can be achieved in about three months.

It is possible to restore speech completely after it has been seriously impeded or completely absent.

The sooner treatment and rehabilitation measures are started, the greater the positive result can be achieved.

A professional speech therapist already two weeks after the attack can determine the type of speech disorder and, based on it, develops a treatment process. Many techniques can be applied in ordinary home conditions.

The patient will be indicated the features of the exercises, the frequency of classes, the possibility of combining and alternating different methods. With self-restoration of speech, it is important to rely on the recommendations of specialists and conduct the first classes under his supervision.

Self-treatment in this case will not lead to positive results in resolving the issue of how to restore speech after a stroke.

Speech therapy exercises after a stroke at home, especially in the initial stages, are best done under the supervision of specialists. This is important because during the recovery process, certain rules must be followed.

Among the most basic rules and conditions that a specialist strictly adheres to, one can note:

Even if the recovery process is difficult at first, do not give up. This is where consistency and regularity are important.

Before starting a speech restoration course at home under the guidance of a specialist or on your own, you need to draw up a program of activities that will be aimed at treating speech failure.

In the process of drawing up such a scheme, the doctor goes in two directions:

1. Medical treatment when pills are prescribed to improve speech after a stroke. This is a special therapy, the main action of which is aimed at preventing various complications and relapses, at restoring the affected area. nervous system and to improve overall brain structures.
2. Speech classes with a speech therapist or under his instructions and under his periodic control.

Practical exercises for restoring speech in patients after a stroke are prescribed without fail, since without this it is simply impossible to return normal speech.

It is worth noting that it can be not only words and sentences, but also the restoration of general motor skills. Such exercises also affect the overall speed of speech recovery after an attack.

Modern medicine offers a large number of different methods aimed at restoring basic speech functions. A professional speech therapist will select a special technique for each specific case.

Here are the most popular and effective exercises that will help you quickly restore speech after a stroke:

A sufficiently serious effect can be achieved in the process of treatment and recovery in group exercises..

Stroke patients are much more willing to share information and communicate. All this restores speech functions much faster, moreover, it helps to make new acquaintances.

In the process of recovery after an attack, you can do not only exercises aimed at establishing a mental process. It is worth doing special gymnastics to develop the speech apparatus.

These exercises include the following:

This is an ideal opportunity to quickly restore muscles and flexibility, which has the most positive effect on the overall speech apparatus.

The patient must perform a full range of well-designed activities. Only after their clear implementation can we talk about obtaining certain positive results.

In order for the recovery process to go as quickly as possible, at first a person who has experienced a stroke should work with relatives.

The main work aimed at the development of speech at the very first time should not exceed 15 minutes. In the future, the duration of classes can reach 30 minutes.

The best option is several approaches throughout the day for 10 minutes.. Outside of class, you should also try to talk as much as possible, for example, describing your actions.

The patient needs to constantly ask questions, first to get monosyllabic questions, then more detailed ones.

Relatively little time is spent on exercise, so treatment and recovery methods such as physiotherapy, acupuncture, and functional biofeedback can be supplemented with therapy.

Modern physiotherapy is designed for effective electrical stimulation of the entire speech muscles as a whole. The procedures very well correct the general articulation, and also improve the link of speech activity.

In the process of restoring speech processes and functions after a stroke, traditional medicine methods can be used. They, like exercises, need to be coordinated with your doctor, since self-treatment can lead to certain problems, which are then very difficult to deal with.

To quickly return and restore speech after an attack, you can use the following folk remedies:

Traditional medicine recipes are designed to restore the original functioning of brain tissue.

In combination with medical preparations, modern physiotherapeutic procedures, as well as speech therapy exercises, traditional medicine recipes are able to have a unique positive effect, allowing the body to recover very quickly.

Rely only on traditional medicine not worth it, in most cases this is not enough.

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Be sure to read other articles:

Articulation gymnastics and other methods of restoring speech after a stroke

Stroke is a serious disease, often leading to complications, in particular, to speech disorders. These consequences of the disease can be eliminated with complex treatment and constant support of the patient. The sooner you start rehabilitation and restorative measures, the sooner a person will be able to return the opportunity to fully communicate.

Restoring speech after a stroke, subject to all the rules and with the help of specialists, in most cases is highly effective, so it is important not to postpone this lesson, but to help the injured person.

How does the process of speech impairment occur after a stroke?

The loss or impairment of the conversational function is caused by such types of stroke as ischemic and hemorrhagic. This process occurs due to damage to the speech center, which is located in the cerebral cortex. It is in this area that the pathogenesis of stroke occurs. So, the pathology affects the cerebellar structures and causes paralysis of the speech apparatus, due to which:

• the voice becomes more deaf and quiet;
• the patient finds it difficult to pronounce consonants or is not given at all;
• the pace of conversation slows down.

ATTENTION! In severe cases of the development of the disease, a complete loss of the ability to speak can occur.

Depending on which part of the brain is affected by a stroke and how the disease has progressed, a person’s ability to speak can manifest itself in different ways. It is important to remember that a speech disorder in a stroke can affect not only the speaking apparatus, but also a person's ability to perceive and understand information, the ability to read and write.

Causes of speech disorders

The main cause of speech disorders is a serious stroke damage to the speech brain areas located in the back of the upper and lower temporal parts of the brain. Areas affected by pathology can be:

1. Brock, when speech is completely taken away from the patient;
2. Wernicke, when the ability to speak in a person does not disappear, but speech becomes incoherent and slurred.

Damage to these areas of the brain during the development of a stroke can be caused by the following reasons:

• paralysis of the vocal cords or one of them;
• severe form of stroke;
• extensive lesion of a stroke;
• lack of timely treatment of the disease;
• complication of a stroke.

IMPORTANT! Speech disorders often occur after a hemorrhagic stroke, which provokes a hemorrhage in the brain. This pathology is rarely without complications, in contrast to its ischemic form, to prevent the progression of which the chances are higher. However, it is completely impossible to exclude the risk of damage to the speech apparatus, regardless of the form of stroke.

Types of speech disorders

There are 2 main types of disorders and speech disorders after a stroke:

1. Dysarthria, in which the patient is able to perceive information, retained the ability to read and write, but hardly pronounces words and sounds.
2. Aphasia, characterized by the complete or partial inability of a person to pronounce words. The perception of words and sounds is also not fully preserved.

According to the generally accepted classification, aphasia is divided into several types:

• Sensory, when the patient can only hear individual sounds, but is unable to understand the meaning of words, which makes it impossible for the speech apparatus to function properly.
• Total, which occurs immediately after a stroke and persists for several days. It is characterized by a complete loss of speech, inability to understand information and recognize others.
• Motor, in which the patient can perceive and understand speech addressed to him, is able to pronounce sounds separately, but cannot assemble them into words. This type of aphasia is caused by articulation disorders.
• Semantic, when the patient cannot perceive the meaning of complex and long sentences and turns, just as he cannot pronounce them. However, the understanding of simple constructions and short phrases, as well as the ability to pronounce them, is preserved.
• Sensorimotor, which is characterized by a combination of sensory and motor types of aphasia after a stroke with difficulties in perception and production of speech. The patient is able to hear and speak only individual sounds.
• Amnestic, when the patient is able to speak in words and simple sentences, but cannot fully do this because of forgetting the names of some objects and phenomena and inability to identify them with realities.

ATTENTION! A patient who has had a stroke should be treated after consultation with a specialist aphasiologist.

Treatment and restoration of speech after a stroke

Treatment and restoration of the conversational function of a person affected by a stroke should be started as early as possible. The rehabilitation prognosis will depend on the complexity and volume of brain damage: the smaller the area affected, the faster the ability to talk to a person will return.

The support of loved ones is also important during treatment. Communication with the patient is essential throughout the rehabilitation. This contributes to a positive attitude and positively affects the results.

To restore speech function in a patient, all effective methods of treating aphasia during and after a stroke should be used:

• classes with a speech therapist;
• articulation and memory exercises;
• stem cell therapy;
• physiotherapy;
• folk remedies.

REFERENCE! In severe cases, surgery may also be involved. However, for most patients, a set of exercises at home under the supervision of a speech therapist and medical methods is sufficient.

medical therapy

Medical therapy for the maintenance and restoration of the speech apparatus does not include the use of drugs, with the exception of taking vitamins to increase immunity.

Modern medical treatment for aphasia involves the procedure of transplanting stem cells into the patient. Together with them, the human body is supplied with internal forces, which contributes to the renewal and restoration of brain damaged tissues. Stem cells are able to recognize lesions and repair dying tissue.

The procedure using the patient's stem cells is performed on an outpatient basis 2 times with a break of 2-3 months. During this time, the protective functions of the body are quickly normalized and the tissues and blood vessels of the brain are reanimated, which returns the organ to normal functioning and favorably affects the patient's vitality. Improved well-being and accelerated treatment of neurosis allow a person to quickly return to the conversational function.

1. Electrical stimulation of the muscles responsible for speech. The method is particularly effective in the motor type of aphasia.
2. Acupuncture, which has a positive effect on speech activity and articulation, but does not give an exact guarantee of the return of speech.
3. Functional biofeedback, which is based on the visual control of the performance of the speech muscles.

IMPORTANT! The choice of such procedures depends on the type and complexity of the speech disorder. Physiotherapy is used only in combination with other methods of treatment to ensure the effectiveness of therapeutic measures.

The most difficult conditions after a stroke, when the pathology disrupted the functioning of the speech apparatus and led to total aphasia, are solved with the help of surgical intervention. The operation is characterized by the restoration of the vessels of the affected tissues with a further improvement in blood circulation in the brain. The indication for this procedure is also the lack of results when using other methods of restoring speaking ability.

Lessons with a speech therapist

To restore speech after a stroke, the help of a speech therapist is also needed. The specialist must control the entire process of the patient's rehabilitation, regularly deal with him and monitor the results of therapy.

The patient's classes with a speech therapist take place after the examination and the establishment of the type of aphasia. The speech therapist should take care of the conditions in which the work with the patient will take place, find contact with him. Then the doctor selects a set of tasks to develop speech understanding, articulation and restore the ability to speak consciously. The complexity of tasks in the complex increases in the course of classes and is determined by the effectiveness of therapy for each individual patient.

A speech therapist can use the technique with the patient listening to music. So he can remember the meanings of known words, and then reproduce them, realizing the meaning of what was said. However, this type of treatment requires prior communication with the patient's relatives, since the music must be known to him and pleasant.

With speech disorders associated with memory gaps or difficulties in perceiving information, a speech therapist can use visual materials - various pictures, objects, photographs. This method is especially effective for sensory aphasia.

The duration of a patient's sessions with a speech therapist is determined by the doctor during treatment and most often ranges from 7 to 15 minutes during the first weeks after a stroke and about 30 minutes after 2 months of regular classes.

REFERENCE! If the first lessons the doctor focuses on the ability to pronounce and understand words, then at the last stage of restoring the conversational function, the speech therapist works on the patient's diction. On average, a year of regular classes with a specialist is enough to return speech.

Home exercises and gymnastics

With the high effectiveness of classes with a speech therapist, as well as to consolidate them, the patient is recommended to conduct a course of exercises at home and articulatory gymnastics after a stroke. In particular, the following methods of restoring speech are effective:

• reading and speaking aloud tongue twisters;
• reading aloud special speech therapy texts;
• pronouncing and singing songs with a light semantic load;
• connecting words into sentences and sentences into texts by building logical chains.

In addition, there is a simple exercise to restore speech after a stroke, which is recommended to be done before classes with a speech therapist - massaging the tongue with a toothbrush to relax it, which makes it easier to pronounce sounds and pronounce words. Also, this procedure is recommended in preparation for special classes for the rehabilitation of the speech apparatus. During these exercises, you should do:

• folding the tongue, lips into a tube;
• grin of teeth;
• a wide smile with tension in the facial muscles;
• pushing the tongue forward with an open mouth;
• light biting teeth alternately upper and lower lips;
• licking the lips with the tongue alternately in both directions;
• licking the inner surface of the teeth, gums, palate.

After such preparation, articulatory gymnastics should be practiced - the patient needs to pronounce individual letters, words, and then sentences, straining the muscles as much as possible. And only after this stage, reading, singing and speaking exercises are involved. Then the effectiveness of homework will be high, as well as when communicating with a speech therapist.

Folk remedies

Folk remedies for the treatment of speech disorders after a stroke should be used as an addition to the main treatment. Effective recipes include:

1. Herbal decoctions. For cooking, pour boiling water over 1 tbsp. l. crushed cones of pine (spruce), viburnum and juniper berries and dried chopped herbs of thyme and sage. Then the liquid should be filtered and drunk 2-3 glasses a day. The medicine helps to increase immunity, and also has a beneficial effect on the mucous membrane of the throat, which facilitates the ability to speak.
2. Medicinal teas. For preparation, it is necessary to brew and drink any medicinal herbs (sage, chamomile, St. John's wort, thyme) as usual tea. It is recommended to supplement the drink with strawberries or rose hips, and then consume 2-3 glasses daily. This tea soothes inflammatory processes in the body and facilitates the general condition of the patient.
3. Honey. This simple product contributes to the rapid rehabilitation of the patient, since its use in 1 tbsp. l. before each lesson on speech, it helps to restore the voice and stimulates the work of the speech apparatus.

ATTENTION! You can use several folk recipes at the same time, but it is important to remember that it is forbidden to exclude regular classes and refuse the therapy prescribed by your doctor!

Conclusion

Restoring speech after a stroke requires the patient's time and effort. His positive attitude towards the effectiveness of treatment is very important, in which relatives and close people should help. In most cases, qualified speech therapists manage to achieve high efficiency within a year. It is necessary to believe in the best, make every possible effort, and then the result will not keep you waiting.

How to restore speech after a stroke: exercises and recommendations

For some period of time after a stroke, the patient has difficulty speaking. But for the completeness of perception of the surrounding world, as well as the health of the psyche, the return of speech communication skills is the leading problem. The ability to speak should be restored as soon as possible.

Some patients go through the rehabilitation period very quickly. They take several months and even weeks. Others need long-term work with a speech therapist, so that through regular classes, they will regain the ability to communicate with people around them. It happens that speech is never fully restored and remains limited.

How to restore speech after a stroke? What do we have to do? Questions will be answered in this article.

How to restore speech after a stroke?

It should be noted that this process is not simple. Stem cells are widely used in modern medicine in this direction. In addition, the restoration of nerve impulses takes place during classes with a speech therapist.

Stem cell applications

Is it possible to restore speech after a stroke using stem cells? Modern medicine proves that with such therapy, the body receives additional mental strength, a person's desire for recovery increases, and his mood improves. This method has the maximum effectiveness if it was applied in the first days after the stroke occurred.

How to restore speech after a stroke with stem cells? This procedure is performed on an outpatient basis. Two procedures are required, between which there must be a three-month rest. Treatment begins with the restoration of blood vessels. Procedures are carried out to eliminate ischemia, atherosclerosis and thrombosis, spasms are eliminated.

The vessels acquire elasticity, the thickness of their walls and the channels themselves are optimized. In those areas where the vessel was clogged and torn, new collateral pathways begin to form.

Speech after a stroke

The timing of the restoration of speech function is closely related to the area of ​​damage to the nerve cells in the cerebral cortex that are responsible for speech. The more extensive the damage to the brain, the slower the ability to speak is restored. If in a year there is still hope to return the lost speech, then over time the pace of rehabilitation slows down.

The body of a person who has had a stroke gradually adapts to the remaining defects in speech. Therefore, the surrounding people should show understanding. In no case should the patient be allowed to withdraw into himself and be isolated from people. To restore the lost function, a person must communicate more, take part in various discussions, and perform simple exercises.

Types of speech disorders after a stroke

Any type of speech disorder after a stroke can be gradually eliminated. In order for rehabilitation to be successful and fast, it is necessary to understand the specifics of the defect and choose the right treatment technique. There are disorders such as sensory and motor aphasia.

With motor aphasia, speech is perceived by the patient by ear and is even understandable to him. However, it is a great difficulty for a person to pronounce words independently or formulate thoughts. The patient has difficulty reading and writing. Most often, these functions are completely lost.

What is sensory aphasia? The patient may mutter something incoherent, speech is not under his control. The reading skill is not lost, but the meaning of what is written is not clear to the patient. The ability to write words is completely absent.

As a result of a stroke, the patient's speech is characterized by confusion. When speaking, he gesticulates intensely, includes expressive facial expressions and many different intonations. A person tries to formulate his thoughts, but he does not succeed, since the correct pronunciation and selection of the right words is lost. The patient may show aggression, often crying. He is in a nervous state. After a stroke, adequate perception of the world around is lost.

How is speech recovery going?

How to restore speech after an ischemic stroke? After stabilization of the patient's condition, doctors advise to immediately begin activities that help restore speaking skills. In order for the pace of rehabilitation to be fast, a professional speech therapist should work with the patient, but the psychological support of relatives is also extremely important.

How to restore speech after a stroke? Exercises designed specifically for this purpose are widely used by speech therapists. The work of a specialist is based on the gradual return of the lost function through various tasks: working with cards, laying out a children's loto, pronouncing words in syllables and completely. The doctor can teach the patient to compensate for the lack of verbal expression with gestures.

Classes should not be suspended even if the desired effect is not achieved for a long time. Sooner or later, the persistent efforts of the doctor and the patient will give their results.

How to recover speech after a moderate stroke? Recommendations on how to conduct exercises to restore it are clear. The main goal of the training is to force the cells located in the affected area of ​​the brain to perform their lost functions. This is achieved through constant training. The patient needs to hear live speech. You should constantly communicate with him. This will help him start playing sounds.

As for the pronunciation of whole words, in the case of a complete lack of speaking skills, the patient is asked to pronounce individual sounds and syllables. For this purpose, a part of a word or phrase is said to a person. In this case, the endings do not agree. The patient must pronounce them himself.

Singing has a beneficial effect on the development of the ability to reproduce words. If you sing to the patient and invite him to sing along, then he will restore speech much faster. This method has a high level of efficiency.

It is very important to restore the ability to pronounce sounds. Perhaps a person is able to talk, but due to a strong violation of the innervation of the facial and chewing muscles, they freeze.

Muscle Development Exercises

How to restore speech after a stroke? Mandatory development of facial muscles is required.

• fold lips into a tube;
• bare teeth;
• push the tongue forward as much as possible;
• lightly bite with the jaws either the upper or the lower lip;
• lick your lips with your tongue in both directions.

The work of a speech therapist

After the examination of the patient is carried out and the type of aphasia is determined, you should immediately begin classes with a speech therapist. It should be noted that in a third of people who have had a stroke, speech is completely restored at the time of discharge from the hospital. Of course, this is possible if the hospital has a speech therapist who conducts classes with the patient from the very first week of his illness.

What is speech therapy?

Speech therapy is a science that studies speech disorders, develops ways to overcome and prevent them, and methods of corrective work. Patients who, even after classes with a doctor, are discharged with severe speech impairment, with subsequent work carried out with regularity, can cope with the shortcomings and start working.

Methods used by speech therapists

From the very beginning, the speech therapist "thaws" the impaired speech functions on the basis of previous stereotypes. The doctor checks the patient's response to mild stimuli, such as muffled speaking. The work is built on the principle of increasing the level of tasks from easy to difficult.

This takes into account the important nuance that the selection of exercises is carried out individually, taking into account the degree of damage to the patient's speech apparatus. The type of aphasia is also taken into account.

It will be easy for one person to name objects, for another it will be easy to maintain a dialogue, etc. But you can’t constantly give easy tasks. Their complexity should steadily increase.

The first lesson should not be burdensome for the patient. At the beginning of rehabilitation, it is recommended to use material that has emotional significance for the patient. The corresponding semantic load is also selected.

What can not be offered at the initial stages of treatment?

Carrying out the initial stages of treatment is of great importance. It is not recommended to offer to work out individual words out of context and connect sounds. To restore speech by a speech therapist, all conditions must be created so that the patient can keep up the conversation as quickly as possible.

Application of singing

After a stroke, singing will help restore speech faster. Speech therapist classes with the inclusion of elements of music give positive results. If the patient finds it difficult to complete the sentence that the speech therapist began, then listening and singing favorite songs can be offered. It is necessary to find out what songs the patient likes and knows. In the process of singing, the words are first pronounced indistinctly by the patient. Gradually, their pronunciation improves. Such a task should proceed in a positive atmosphere. It brings pleasure to the patient.

Immediately after the patient can pronounce the words, he should be interested in self-study. For example, invite him to insert missing letters or prepositions into sentences.

What methods are used for people with sensory aphasia?

Visual aids are used for people with sensory aphasia. The patient is shown a picture that is proposed to be drawn if his condition allows it. Then the word symbolizing the image is called. All actions that are carried out by a speech therapist are accompanied by friendly calm comments: “Let's fix the pillow”, “Please raise your head”, “Now you can put your head on the pillow”. So you can restore speech after a stroke in the presence of sensory aphasia.

Patients with such a disorder have difficulty distinguishing similar-sounding words. A suitable exercise is the application of drawings. The patient must show the named object. For example, such pairs of consonant words are selected as “tom - house”, “point - kidney”, etc.

Lesson duration

The duration of classes and the intervals between them depend on the individual capabilities of the patient. The average is 7-15 minutes. After two months, exercises can be carried out for half an hour. You should also keep under control the load of the patient's speech and hearing apparatus.

The room should be quiet, the radio or TV should not be turned on.

Help of a speech therapist in the later stages

If the help of a speech therapist was not provided in the first weeks of the disease, then speech disorders are persistent. And in this case, it is possible to restore the lost function, but an aphasiologist who has his own methods should work with the patient.

Support for a person who has had a stroke

It is very important to maintain an optimistic mood in the patient. The hospital staff, the patient's relatives and the speech therapist should not let the person feel that he is disabled. Otherwise, a person will close in on himself and perceive the disease as a sentence. After a stroke, the emotional susceptibility of patients is too high. Affectionate treatment will be in this case the best assistant in restoring the lost ability to speak.

Is it possible to conduct independent classes under the guidance of loved ones?

How to restore speech after a stroke at home? Relatives can conduct independent classes only with the permission of a doctor. It is important not to overdo it here. Do not unnecessarily overload the patient or give him overwhelming tasks.

Relatives often do not have enough patience, and they want to achieve the desired result in a short time. Little success in recovery causes them disappointment, which is expressed in facial expressions and gestures. The patient, having caught such a reaction of loved ones, loses optimism and may subsequently refuse to undergo treatment. Therefore, the patient's relatives are not present at the lessons with the speech therapist.

Important Notes

To restore speech and memory after a stroke, it is recommended to persistently force the patient to pronounce the names of surrounding objects. It has been proven that patients remember objects better than actions.

When communicating with a person who has had a stroke, it is important to take into account that during a parallel conversation of several people, patients have difficulty distinguishing sounds and words.

Those who have had a stroke should not watch TV for more than 2 hours a day. Only calm interesting programs should be selected. For example, for sports fans, a sports program will encourage comments, which will have an impact on the restoration of speech.

Folk remedies

Can folk remedies restore speech after a stroke? A tried and tested method used by the people is the use of thinly sliced ​​or grated black radish. It should be kept in the mouth. In this case, a burning and tingling sensation occurs in the oral cavity. A compress is also made from radish. It is applied to the damaged facial nerve.

Conclusion

The article discussed how to restore speech after a stroke. This process is long and laborious. It requires the diligence of both the patient and the doctor. Patience, support of loved ones, a calm attitude and strict adherence to the doctor's recommendations will help a sick person cope with the disease.

How to restore speech after a stroke: exercises, predictions

From this article you will learn: how speech is restored after a stroke, what speech disorders can be, and how reversible they are. What needs to be done for the fastest and most complete restoration of speech.

Speech impairment is one of the most common manifestations and consequences of both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. This disorder is called aphasia. It can vary in severity, duration and reversibility - from mild short-term difficulties with the pronunciation of individual words to a complete and lifelong lack of speech after a stroke.

How well speech will be restored and whether the patient will speak at all after a stroke depends on three factors:

1. How severely the areas of the brain responsible for speech function are affected - the larger the stroke, the more severe the aphasia.
2. From the timeliness and completeness of treatment and rehabilitation measures: the sooner complex treatment is started and more complete, the better the recovery.
3. Which speech center is affected, and what kind of aphasia the patient has - motor aphasia is best treated, and sensory aphasia is often irreversible, persisting for life (more about the types of aphasia - later in the article).

It is possible to restore normal speech after a stroke, even if it has been completely lost. But it is difficult to predict how complete the recovery will be in a particular patient. The rehabilitation process can last from several days to several years, requires the patient and loved ones regular exercise and great effort.

It is better to be treated under the supervision of specialists: a neuropathologist, a rehabilitation therapist and a speech therapist.

Why recovery depends on the type of speech disorders

The most important speech centers of the brain (Brock and Wernicke) are located in the fronto-temporal region of the left hemisphere (in right-handers).

When different parts of the brain are affected, different speech disorders. Depending on this, the following types of aphasia are distinguished:

• Sensory - Wernicke's center is affected in the area between the parietal and temporal lobes. A person does not understand, does not create meaningful speech, and therefore cannot conduct a dialogue or story, although the pronunciation of individual words that are not related to each other is not impaired.
• Motor - Broca's center is affected in the area between the frontal and temporal lobes. Loss of speech is caused by the inability to pronounce words - a person understands the addressed speech and wants to speak, but cannot do it.
• Semantic - the ability to understand and pronounce speech structures that are complex in meaning and sound is lost, but the ability to speak in simple semantic sentences is preserved.
• Amnestic - a person can speak normally, but forgets individual names and words, so during a conversation he cannot say them.

Sensory speech disorders are the most dangerous and are poorly restored - the primitive ability to pronounce separate unrelated words can remain for life. Motor aphasia is better eliminated - even if the patient has completely lost speech, she can recover completely.

General rules and events

To restore speech after a stroke, a set of measures is needed:

• Early application for medical care(in the first hours after the onset of the disease).
• Medical support.
• Lessons with a speech therapist.
• Special exercises that restore pronunciation.
• Complementary therapies: physiotherapy, surgery, stem cell therapy.

The environment in which the patient is located is of great importance. His relatives and entourage should contribute to the recovery process. After all, in fact, an adult who has lost his speech, like a small child, must learn to speak again.

For this you need:

1. Calm environment, excluding stress, unrest, loud sounds and noise.
2. Interest and desire to restore speech abilities.
3. Constant communication - even if the patient does not respond to treatment and speech at all, he must hear it. Talk to the patient, to each other, and over time, the brain will begin not only to perceive, but also independently reproduce what it hears.
4. The rehabilitation process should consist of several successive stages responsible for the gradual restoration of various abilities - speech understanding, pronunciation of sounds, words, phrases, sentences, meaningful expanded speech, and improvement of pronunciation.
5. The duration of the stages of rehabilitation can be different (days, weeks, months and even years).
6. You can not stop at the achieved result.

How is the recovery

It is important to understand that it takes time to restore speech, like any lost brain function caused by a stroke. The rehabilitation process in sensory aphasia more often (in 72%) occurs slowly and gradually, step by step, when the ability to talk expands every day or month. With motor aphasia, more often (in 65%) there is a spontaneous recovery of speech by the type of jerks - a person does not achieve any results of treatment for several weeks, after which a pronounced improvement occurs (for example, he cannot say anything at all, and after a few months immediately speaks in sentences).

The maximum recovery of speech occurs in the first year after a stroke, but lasts up to 3-5 years. After this period, existing violations remain for life.

Rehabilitation of speech functions should be persistent, but systematized. You can not both overstrain and not work hard enough on yourself. It is best to alternate periods of active studies (pronunciation exercises, work with a speech therapist) with rest.

Increase the duration of classes gradually - from several minutes in the first days after stabilization of the patient's condition to 1-2 hours after 4-5 weeks. This rule even extends to activities such as listening to speech, music and watching television – they must also be limited in time and alternate with periods of rest.

Be sure to contact a specialist - a speech therapist, a neuropathologist, a rehabilitation therapist. With their help, speech will recover better and faster.

CT scan of an ischemic stroke in Wernicke's area. A - focus of ischemic stroke in the first hours; B - hemorrhagic transformation of stroke on day 3

Help speech therapist

Before restoring speech after a stroke, the patient consults a speech pathologist-aphasiologist. The specialist will determine the nature of aphasia and draw up an individual rehabilitation program, taking into account the existing disorders. With this approach, about 25–30% of patients with severe speech disorders begin to talk by the time they are discharged from the hospital. The elements of the classes should continue to be performed independently at home, but periodically (weekly or monthly) visit a speech therapist to correct rehabilitation measures.

The main methods and principles of the work of a speech therapist, which must be taken into account during self-rehabilitation at home:

• Determining the response to loud and soft voices.
• Gradual build-up, complication of loads and tasks.
• From simple to complex - only after mastering less complex functions (understanding and pronunciation of sounds), you can begin to master more complex speech structures (words, sentences).
• Be sure to follow not only the pronunciation, but also the understanding of the meaning of the spoken words.
• Be sure to take into account the patient's interest in the topic under study - to talk about what is interesting to the patient.
• Use the technique - start the phrase yourself, and the patient finishes it.
• Use musical techniques - singing along with the patient's favorite songs helps to quickly restore conversational speech.
• The combination of drawing with pronunciation training - what the patient cannot pronounce, he must draw.

All these techniques have a positive effect on the restoration of the speech centers of the brain.

A communication map helps patients with aphasia to communicate with others. Click on photo to enlarge

Useful exercises

All patients with aphasia after a stroke need to perform special recovery exercises, regardless of its type. This is due to the fact that in 85-90% aphasia is of a mixed nature - sensory-motor. Therefore, exercises that improve the functioning of the muscular apparatus involved in pronunciation are shown to all patients.

Effective techniques and exercises:

• Curl and stretch your lips as much as possible in the form of a tube (like a kiss) and hold in this position for 5-7 seconds. Repeat 5-10 times.
• Grab the upper lip with your lower lip and pull it up as far as possible. Relax and repeat the action 5-10 times.
• Grab the bottom lip with your upper lip and pull it down as far as possible for 3-5 seconds. Repeat 5-10 times.
• Open your mouth, stretch your head and neck forward, pull your tongue out of your mouth as much as possible. Stay in this position for a few seconds. Return to normal position and repeat the exercise 5-10 times.
• Lick the upper lip and then the lower lip 5-10 times, first from right to left, then from right to left.
• Lick your lips with your tongue several times in a circle (upper and lower) in both directions.
• Twist the tongue in the form of a tube, stick it out of the mouth in this position.
• With your mouth closed, turn your tongue up and try to reach the hard and then the soft palate.
• Close your mouth so that your lips are closed and your teeth are open. Perform circular movements of the tongue between the lips and teeth, first to the left, then to the right.
• Click your tongue against the hard palate to make it sound like a running horse.
• Stick your tongue out of your mouth as far forward as possible and make a hissing sound (like a snake).
• Close your mouth and try to smile with your lips parted and all your teeth showing. Repeat the smile, but without parting your lips or showing your teeth.
• Stick out your tongue and try to alternately reach up to the tip of your nose and down to your chin.
• Perform an air kiss, accompanying it with a loud smack.

Remember that any of the exercises must be performed not once, but several times (5-10 times during one session).

Exercise for aphasia

Additional Methods

Work on the perception and pronunciation of speech is the most important, but not the only part of speech restoration. If necessary, must be used:

1. Drug therapy - drugs that restore blood circulation and the functioning of brain cells (Ceraxon, Trental, Piracetam, Cerebrolysin).
2. Physiotherapy - electrical impulse therapy, myostimulation, acupuncture, massage of the tongue and mimic muscles and other techniques.
3. Surgical operations are vascular and neurosurgical interventions that improve blood circulation and the functioning of brain cells.

Forecast

The most severe speech disorders occur with extensive strokes affecting the frontotemporo-parietal region (basin of the middle cerebral artery) in the left hemisphere of the brain in right-handers or the right hemisphere in left-handers. On average, subject to compliance with all the recommendations of specialists by surviving patients, speech lost after a stroke is restored:

• After severe strokes - 55%.
• With strokes of moderate severity - 76%.
• With mild forms of the disease - 92%.

If you do not rehabilitate overall probability recovery is only 15%.

How can speech be restored after a stroke?

Restoring speech after a stroke is a process that must be started immediately after the condition after a stroke has stabilized. You need to be prepared for the fact that it will take longer than the restoration of motor functions. Everything can drag on for up to six years, although even after such a period of time, speech may not fully resume. The patient must be assured that the success of treatment primarily depends on his own efforts.

A speech therapist should monitor the improvement of speech functions. He can prescribe both medication and speech therapy exercises. If you try to treat the patient yourself, you can do great harm, then the chances of recovery will be significantly reduced. It is worth noting that there are two types of speech disorders, each of which requires separate treatment.

Forms of disorders

Let us first consider the manifestation of each form, and then the treatment that is required in each form.

1. Aphasia. The very phenomenon of speech is disturbed as a manifestation of higher nervous activity. The patient is not able to recognize written or spoken language, but he hears sounds and words. This is sensory aphasia. Due to the fact that the necessary impulse is not formed in the necessary parts of the neocortex, the patient cannot pronounce the word. This is the so-called motor aphasia or speech apraxia. There is total aphasia, in which a person not only cannot speak himself, but also does not understand what is being said to him.
2. Dysarthria. This is a defect in the pronunciation of words and sounds. A person perfectly understands what is being said to him, can write and read, but he is not able to speak, since the work of the muscles that are responsible for the pronunciation of sounds is impaired. This is also called a violation of articulation, in which departments of the subcortical structures and frontal lobes are affected.

Now is the time to discuss which treatments are used in each form.

Treatment of aphasia and dysarthria

To date, there are many ways to treat aphasia.

• speech therapy method. In this case, speech, reading and writing are restored by training and consolidating linguistic skills. Melodic intonation therapy is also used, which is aimed at activating the functions of the right hemisphere of the brain. It is possible to restore cognitive functions and speech with the help of computer technology. The speech therapy method is most beneficial when interacting with pharmacological methods that are aimed at bringing the damaged hemisphere back to normal. Although other methods are still used for severe aphasia.

• Surgical way. This is an EICMA operation - an extra-intracranial microanoastomosis used for revascularization of speech areas that have suffered. This method helps to improve the blood supply to the damaged brain, as well as optimize the functional state of the nervous tissue. It is used in cases where other methods are ineffective or for health reasons.
• Physiotherapy, including electrical stimulation of the speech muscles. It is effective in motor aphasia, but the method has not yet become widespread.

Electrical stimulation helps speech muscles

• Acupuncture. It is used to correct articulation and improve the level of speech activity. This method is also used for motor aphasia, but its effectiveness has not been fully proven.
• Functional biofeedback, including visual control of the activity of speech muscles. However, this method is not effective for patients with comprehension disorder. This biofeedback is aimed at improving the level of speech function. The scope is not wide.

In the treatment of dysarthria, it is important to teach the patient to pronounce words. To do this, you need to teach him the skills of the lower jaw and oral cavity. The therapy strategy includes the following methods:

1. regular exercise for the language; for example, you can stick out a relaxed and tense tongue, rest against your teeth, make circular movements, exercises for the lips, facial muscles and lower jaw;
2. speech therapy correction; takes place under the supervision of a doctor who can prescribe exercises to restore swallowing function;
3. drug therapy, which is aimed at preventing complications, as well as improving the blood supply to the brain.

Special exercises

How to restore speech after a stroke? We have discussed the basic principles above. However, it is worth mentioning separately specific exercises that will help improve speech after an ischemic stroke.

The main thing in the process of restoring speech is effort and patience. These qualities are needed both by the person who has had a stroke, and by his relatives and friends. It is also important to keep a positive attitude so that the person does not feel like a burden. Speech can recover and it will definitely return to its previous mode, if everything is done correctly, with patience and in a good mood!