Understanding Stroke Risk Factors – Are You At Risk?

Has one of your family members experienced a stroke and you’re wondering if you’re at risk?

Do you want to be proactive in keeping yourself healthy?

From lifestyle to family history, many factors can lead to this dangerous “brain attack.”

At Capitol Physical Therapy, we offer physical therapy solutions for neurological conditions, like stroke, to help increase your independence and quality of life.

As physical therapists with years of experience in providing stroke recovery physical therapy, we want to help people understand a little more about strokes.

In particular, we want to help you learn more about the risk factors that can lead to strokes and what you can do to help decrease your future likelihood of having one.

What Is A Stroke?

A stroke is a neurological condition that occurs when there’s an interruption to the blood flow to your brain, or a blood vessel in your brain bursts.

This condition is quite common.

In fact, the prevalence for a stroke in the US is approximately 800,000 individuals every year.

A transient ischemic attack (TIA), or mini-stroke, occurs when the blood flow to the brain is very short or less than 5 minutes in length (usually).

This is different from major stroke types.

There are two types of major strokes: ischemic and hemorrhagic.

An ischemic stroke is the more common type and is responsible for 87% of all strokes.

It occurs when a major blood vessel in the brain has a blockage.

This blockage could be the result of blood clots, plaques, or particles that get stuck in blood vessels.

A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in your brain bursts, spilling blood into nearby brain tissue.

In order to function, your brain needs a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients, carried by the blood vessels.

Your arteries deliver blood filled with oxygen to your brain.

Strokes are emergencies because they interrupt this oxygen supply, which can cause cell death in the brain within minutes.

When brain cells die, you lose brain function and actions controlled by the part of the brain where the stroke occurred.

Strokes can impact your:

• Ability to eat or swallow
• Speech or language comprehension
• Bowel control
• Memory
• Emotional control
• Pain levels
• Posture and balance

If you or a loved one is having a stroke, it’s important to get to an emergency room as soon as possible.

The signs and symptoms of a stroke can be recognized by the acronym F.A.S.T.

If you don’t know how to recognize a stroke using the F.A.S.T acronym, be sure to read our previous article on the topic: How To Recognize A Stroke (And Prevent A Stroke From Happening)

Modifiable Risk Factors For Stroke

Anyone of any age can be impacted by a stroke.

But there are specific factors that can increase your risk of experiencing a stroke.

The first step to reducing your risk of a stroke is to understand what risk factors may affect you.

There are factors you can control and factors you cannot.

If you have a parent or sibling who has previously had a stroke, especially at a young age or without many risk factors, you’re more at risk.

Your risk also increases as you age.

As a result, physical therapy tailored for seniors may involve treatments for stroke recovery and prevention as well.

Additionally, certain health conditions can increase your risk of a stroke.

Some of these conditions include:

• Heart disease
• High blood cholesterol
• Diabetes
• High red blood cell count
• Breast cancer
• Obesity
• Sleep apnea
• Headaches
• Kidney disease
• Viral infections or conditions

Genetic risk and age aren’t things you can control, but there are other factors that you can mitigate.

These are called modifiable risk factors for stroke.

Let’s take a look at some of them.

1. Smoking Cigarettes And Other Tobacco Products

Smoking increases your chance of blood clots forming by both thickening your blood and adding to the plaque in your arteries.

If you smoke, quitting is one of the most powerful things you can do to reduce your stroke risk.

Quitting smoking isn’t easy, so check in with your doctor and don’t give up, even though it can feel discouraging.

The DC Quitline is also available to help you quit smoking for good and can be reached at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669) or 202-333-4488 (for Spanish speakers).

Through the Quitline, DC residents can access up to 8 weeks of nicotine replacement patches or lozenges.

You can receive one-on-one support sessions with certified quit coaches by phone, text message, or web-based tools.

2. Keep Your Blood Pressure Healthy

If left uncontrolled, high blood pressure can double or sometimes even quadruple your stroke risk.

Monitoring and treating your blood pressure is vital.

If it’s high, it can make a huge impact when it comes to your risk.

In particular, obesity can lead to high blood pressure, which leads to an increased risk of stroke.

As a result, maintaining a healthy weight is not only linked with reduced stroke risk; it can also reduce your need for a number of other physical therapy services.

This is because obesity can come with a number of other health concerns as well.

At our physical therapy clinics, we sometimes see obesity linked to the following conditions:

• pelvic floor dysfunction in women
• myofascial pain syndrome
• osteoarthritis
• hyperlordosis
• And others

To be clear, obesity doesn’t necessarily lead to the list of conditions above.

Not being obese also doesn’t eliminate your risk of these factors, but they can sometimes be related.

While there are goal posts out there, it’s important to keep your weight-loss goals personal.

You can do this by working with your doctor, dietitian, nutritionist, personal trainer, or other qualified healthcare provider.

In the meantime, here are some options to help you naturally lower your blood pressure:

• Reduce your salt intake, as salt makes you retain water, which can add extra water to your blood, increasing the pressure on your blood vessels.
• Increase the amount you exercise as this makes your heart stronger, so it can pump more blood more easily, decreasing your blood pressure.
• Avoid high-cholesterol foods because cholesterol can build up on the inside of your arteries, narrowing them, increasing your blood pressure, and making your heart have to work harder to push blood through them.

Since your blood pressure is linked with your heart health, you could also use these tips to keep your heart healthy as a way to keep your blood pressure in check.

3. Keep Your Diabetes Under Control

High blood sugar, a common hallmark of diabetes, can damage your blood vessels, which increases the likelihood of a clot forming within them.

If you have diabetes, make sure to keep your blood sugar under control by monitoring it as directed by your doctor.

Diet, medication, exercise, and seeing a physical therapist are all tools you can use to help maintain an ideal blood sugar range.

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4. Maintain An Active Lifestyle

Even without the weight loss and lowered blood pressure benefits, exercise has many benefits, including helping to reduce your risk of stroke.

Exercising moderately at least five days a week is an ideal goal for you to maintain an active lifestyle.

The good news, though, is that it doesn’t have to be a strenuous exercise for you to benefit.

When you think of “exercise,” you might think of intense athletics, but even things like taking a walk through your neighborhood could help.

You may also choose the stairs instead of the elevator at your office or home if you live in a high-rise building to reduce your stroke risk while increasing your activity levels.

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What To Do After A Stroke?

Stroke recovery can take weeks, months, or years, depending on its severity.

There are many things you may struggle with after your stroke, such as paralysis, weakness, and coordination issues.

Numbness in your body, problems with speech, memory issues, and pain in the hands and feet are all things you might experience.

You will have to go through stroke rehabilitation to recover from your stroke, which may include adult speech therapy or occupational therapy.

Among other health services available to you, physical therapy can help you recover from a stroke.

A physical therapist will help you relearn the movement skills you might have lost.

They can also help reduce your risk of having another stroke in the future.

Book Your Appointment With Capitol Physical Therapy Today

If you’re recovering after a stroke, you don’t have to go through recovery without support.

At Capitol Physical Therapy, we can help you on your stroke recovery journey and get your independence and confidence back.

Book your appointment at one of our physical therapy clinics in the DC area today, to get started.