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By Kimberly Levesque, PT, DPT, AIT
Did you know that stroke is the #5 cause of death, and a leading cause of disability, in the United States? If you’re reading this, I am assuming you already have a baseline understanding of what a stroke is and what it isn’t. Just in case, check out the American Stroke Association to learn about the types of stroke, the effects of stroke, and much, much more.
Now let’s talk about how we can reduce our risk of stroke.
The three largest risk factors for developing a stroke likely won’t surprise you:
The good news is all three of these are controllable risk factors. Here are three simple steps you can take to combat the three largest risk factors.
And don’t forget, an annual physical exam and controlling your blood pressure and cholesterol levels is an essential part of managing your overall health. Of course, there are risk factors that are uncontrollable too. These include:
Diabetic? It’s important to appropriately manage your diabetes to avoid little-seen changes in the brain blood vessels, which can also be a stroke. Check out Nutrition for Diabetes Management and Exercise for Diabetes Management for some helpful tips.
Obviously, there is nothing we can do about the uncontrollable risk factors. That’s why it’s so important to manage what we can control. In addition to the tips above to tackle the three largest risk factors and keep your diabetes in check, you can decrease your risk even further by getting a handle on these controllable risk factors too:
Now to put a plan into action! Here’s how:
Don’t forget to assess and reassess often! Your body will thank you.
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