Shoulder subluxation is a common complication that affects up to 80% of stroke survivors. It occurs when the upper arm bone, called the humerus, becomes partially dislocated from the shoulder socket due to muscle weakness, paralysis, or spasticity. This condition can cause pain, loss of function, and difficulty performing daily activities, significantly impacting the quality of life for stroke survivors. This article will delve into the causes, evaluation methods, and treatment options for shoulder subluxation in hemiplegic (paralysis on one side of the body) patients.  Understanding Sho ..read more

Stroke rehabilitation has seen significant advancements over the past decade, with the integration of robotic technology being a major development. Robotic therapy has emerged as a powerful tool in the realm of stroke rehabilitation, especially concerning motor control recovery in the upper limbs. In addition, the latest research is showing promising results with combating learned nonuse while enhancing arm and hand recovery. The Emergence of Robotic Rehabilitation The advent of robotic rehabilitation has marked a shift in the approach to neurorehabilitation for stroke rehab and recovery. Tra ..read more

Welcome to the No Plateau Podcast for stroke and brain injury survivors, their caregivers, and the therapists helping them break boundaries in their recovery journey. Hosted by Henry Hoffman, occupational and clinical therapist. This podcast is intended to supplement stroke and brain injury survivors’ recovery journey. Therefore, all content affiliated with this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. And now here’s Henry Hoffman. Podcast Transcript Henry Hoffman (00:00:32): Hello, everyone, we ..read more

Understanding Foot Drop & Foot Drop Rehabilitation Foot drop (sometimes called drop foot or dropped foot) is a condition that makes it difficult to raise the front of the foot and toes because of weakness or paralysis of the muscles and nerves that lift the foot. Stroke, muscular sclerosis, neurological disorders, or nerve injury cause foot drop. With foot drop, you have a higher risk of falling due to dragging your foot and catching your toes on the ground. Fortunately, several foot drop exercises can strengthen the muscles, increase mobility, and get you back to walking comfort ..read more

Hello everyone, welcome to another episode of the No Plateau podcast. I am your host, Henry Hoffman, and I’m excited to be here with you today. Today we are going to be talking about inpatient rehab process following stroke, things to consider, and things to definitely not do or avoid. The first few weeks following a stroke are critical, and we, as OTs, can either help or hurt the outcome for many of our patients. So to help me discuss all of this, I invited a wonderful colleague of mine, who spent a fair amount of time in the inpatient rehab setting. Please welcome Cortney H. Jesse ..read more

Hello, everyone. Welcome to another episode of the No Plateau Podcast. I am your host, Henry Hoffman. I am thrilled to be with you today. We are going to talk about activity-based therapy for spinal cord injury and neurologically impaired populations. Many of us have heard of task-specific training or task-oriented training, but what about ABT or activity-based therapy? So, to help me discuss and digest this topic, I’ve invited Darcy Pernoud, who is an OT and owner of Back to Independence Rehab in North Carolina. Her clinic is a gym model approach for neuro and spinal cord injury patients, an ..read more

Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of the Note Plateau podcast. I’m your host Henry Hoffman. I’m excited to be with you today. I would like to introduce our special guest. We have Abbe Simon, who is a speech language pathologist and the owner of iCommunicare. She is also an integrated health coach. And we have a couple of things in common, which I learned pre-show. Abbe went to school in Buffalo. I am from Buffalo. Go Bills. Podcast Transcript Henry Hoffman (00:31.044): Place of employment, which is Brooke Rehab Hospital. And I forget when she’ll, we can never dive ..read more

Hello everyone, welcome to another episode of the No Plateau podcast. I am your host, Henry Hoffman. I’m thrilled to be with you today. Today we’re going to talk about spasticity treatment following stroke. For many patients, spasticity rears its ugly head soon after a stroke, and it’s a tough nut to crack. Up to 40% of first-time stroke patients suffer from spasticity, so it is a big deal. To help me discuss this topic, I invited Dr. Samuel Milton to join me on the show, and he graciously accepted. Podcast Transcript Samuel Milton (00:44.97): Well, welcome. Thank you. And not to date myself ..read more

Welcome everyone to the No Plateau podcast. I am your host, Henry Hoffman, and I am joined today with Teresa Biber Lomonte, a speech language pathologist and a swallowing specialist from the beautiful Costa Rica. She’s been there for a couple of years, which I just learned before the show. Teresa’s claim to fame was in the late nineties when she created an NMES, which is electrical stimulation protocol for the treatment of dysphagia. And has been teaching therapists and patients worldwide since 2001. And that will be the focus today on the podcast. So Teresa, welcome. Thanks for joining today ..read more

Well, hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of the No Plateau podcast. I am your host, Henry Hoffman, and happy to be here with you today. We have a very special guest with us today. Please welcome Keith Taylor to the podcast. He’s not only suffered a stroke at the age of 48, but he started an awesome online coaching, mentoring company that I’m gonna dive into. Of course, Keith being a stroke survivor himself can appreciate the struggles that a lot of our stroke patients go through. And we’re excited to have him on, and the focus of today’s podcast, of course, is to learn more about Keit ..read more