Neuro Navigators Episode 29: Strength in Stroke Rehab: Are We Missing an Opportunity?

Join host J.J. Mowder-Tinney for a compelling conversation with Dr. Stacie Barber, a physical therapist and strength specialist who brings a bold, performance-based lens to neurological recovery. Drawing from her background in elite athletics and the personal journey of navigating her husband‘s massive stroke, Stacie challenges us to rethink the “traditional“ boundaries of neurorehabilitation. We explore how to safely integrate high-intensity strength training, multi-modal approaches, and objective force measurement to drive meaningful physiological adaptations. You‘ll walk away with actionable strategies to move beyond movement quality alone and empower your patients to reclaim their baseline strength and self-efficacy.

Learning Outcomes

• Analyze the evidence around strength training principles in stroke rehabilitation, including the role of progressive loading, cross-education, and physiological adaptations that influence recovery
• Apply evidence-based, practical strategies to actionably address the implementation of high-intensity resistance training principles to improve physiological adaptations and self-efficacy in stroke survivors

• Solve patient case scenarios involving the use of multi-modal approaches to address spasticity, resting tone, and functional mobility in post-stroke recovery

Timestamps

• (00:00:00) Welcome
• (00:00:05) Introduction
• (00:02:30) Stacie's journey from athlete to physical therapist
• (00:05:15) Personal experience with a stroke
• (00:08:09) Advocating for early mobilization
• (00:12:47) The role of strength training in neurorehabilitation
• (00:15:03) Incorporating blood flow restriction
• (00:19:58) Holistic rehabilitation
• (00:23:58) Motivating patients by challenging them
• (00:26:51) Strength, spasticity, and rehabilitation
• (00:31:40) Measuring strength for rehabilitation
• (00:32:05) Integrating strength training in the clinic
• (00:41:02) Patient engagement and buy-in strategies
• (00:44:52) Objective testing in strength training
• (00:53:50) Embracing trial and error in therapy

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