Final answer:
Muscles may remain in a shortened position after a stroke, leading to contractures. This happens because of the lack of neural stimulation, causing muscle atrophy and loss of structural proteins. Physiotherapists play a crucial role in stroke recovery by targeting these muscles with exercises to maintain muscle tone and function.
Step-by-step explanation:
After a stroke, patients may experience muscle rigidity where muscles remain in a shortened position, leading to contractures. This can be attributed to the interruption of neural stimulation to muscles, which prevents normal contraction and may eventually cause the muscles to lose structural proteins. The Yale University School of Medicine study found that the muscles lining blood vessels in the brain contract after a stroke, reducing blood flow and leading to potential brain damage. This information is crucial for physiotherapists who work with stroke patients to maintain muscle function. They prescribe and monitor exercises that target susceptible muscles, mitigating atrophy and encouraging muscle tone, which is essential for stabilizing joints and maintaining posture. The discovery of muscle contraction in blood vessels presents a new target for stroke therapy, addressing restricted blood flow to the brain and subsequent damage.