Cerebral Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA)

cerebral vascular accident (CVA), also known as a stroke, occurs when there is a lack of blood flow to a portion of the brain. According to the International Stroke Center1, about 795,000 people in the United States suffer a stoke each year. Greater than two-thirds of those who survive a CVA receive rehabilitation services after being hospitalized.2 It is estimated that over $34 billion is spent each year on health care for patients who have suffered a CVA. Functional deficits vary depending on the area of the brain that was affected, and therefore, recovery times after a stroke vary as well.3
Common complications after CVA include paralysis or hemiparesis, impaired cognition, impaired speech, difficulty chewing and swallowing, spatial neglect, impaired coordination, trouble expressing emotions, impaired sensation, pain, incontinence, and/or depression. There is variation in the methods used to treat these deficits, and CVA treatment often combines multidimensional approaches such as NDT, Rood techniques, balance training, postural awareness, motor learning, and/or strengthening.4
Pusher behavior (PB) is a specific condition most commonly seen in (but not exclusive to) patients who have had a stroke.5 Pusher behavior is made up of a set of symptoms found in 10-63% of CVA cases, and pusher behavior exhibits three common behaviors according to the …show more content…
This study found that upon conflicts between the vestibular and proprioceptive inputs, the spatial updating was a weighted average of the two inputs.10 This means that both the vestibular system and the proprioceptive system both contribute in part to the body’s understanding of position such as during standing balance. Since vestibular input should be correct while the patient is standing upright, there is interest in understanding why proprioceptive input is incorrect and how to correct