Traditionally, there have been few formal rehabilitation options for people who have suffered a stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI) more than two years in the past.

Experts believed any progress made would be made within those first two years.

Sometimes additional physical, speech, or occupational therapy may be offered, but no significant progress has usually been expected at that point.

Neurofeedback therapy may bring about dramatic improvements well beyond the two-year mark. It is becoming more recognized as a helpful modality for addressing the brain’s ability to repair itself, even years after damage has been done.

For example, a therapist shared a situation in which a patient showed significant improvement three years after suffering a stroke. The patient’s left hand had been wholly and constantly clenched since the stroke occurred. After her tenth neurofeedback training session, she began to open and use her hand.

How did neurofeedback help possibly bring about that change? The therapist targeted the neurofeedback training near the brain’s motor strip – an area that controls muscles and muscle tone. Through neurofeedback training, those motor circuits possibly reorganized and became more efficient. In this case, it successfully enabled the client to regain motor function in her hand.

Stroke and TBI involve injuries to the brain. To treat those injuries, the brain itself must be targeted. Brain training is completely individualized, and the specific areas of the brain affected by the stroke or TBI are targeted during neurofeedback therapy. In the case of stroke and TBI, a neurofeedback practitioner will generally use qEEG brain map to determine which areas should be targeted for best results.

Damage experienced in a stroke or traumatic brain injury has the potential to be addressed with neurofeedback.

Neurofeedback may help connectivity and timing in the brain, and specific areas of the brain may be targeted to have the most impact.

Some common repercussions of stroke and TBI that can be helped are:

  • Speech
  • Movement
  • Mood regulation
  • Better behavior control
  • Headache reduction
  • Restorative sleep
  • Memory
  • Focus
  • Balance
  • Coordination
  • Fine motor skills
  • Stamina

Neurofeedback addresses symptoms associated with TBI because the brain regulates each of those issues.

Neurofeedback training may be particularly helpful in improving speech for people recovering from stroke and TBI. During brain training, the specific areas of the brain associated with speech may be targeted, strengthened, and improved. In fact, some neuropsychologists believe that neurofeedback may be rehabilitating the damaged speech areas of the brain rather than just compensating for the dysfunction.

A speech therapist specializing in stroke and TBI began neurofeedback training with her patients in the first hospital-based program to use neurofeedback training.

When interviewed, the speech therapist reported more instances of progress in speech improvement for stroke and TBI patients in the one year since implementing neurofeedback training than in the previous ten years combined. She feels that training the brain increases success exponentially.

The extent of recovery possible after stroke or TBI depends on numerous factors.

However, therapists’ and patients’ experience has shown that many people improve significantly, even well after the incident, through neurofeedback brain training.

Neurofeedback is also an excellent method for the treatment of stroke and TBI because it is:

  • Non-invasive
  • Painless
  • Free of side effects
  • Long-lasting with a sufficient amount of brain training

Content courtesy of www.aboutneurofeedback.com.

Recommended Reading