Fortunately, the brain can rewire itself and bounce back from injury. While many stroke survivors might not achieve a full recovery, functional gains are possible with the right approach and circumstances.
Yes—through therapy and rehab, patients experiencing hemiplegia or hemiparesis can regain some of the motion and movement that they lost as a result of their stroke.
From Three to Six Months
However, don't give up all hope. You may be able to continue making progress for up to two years after your stroke.
A stroke can sometimes cause temporary or permanent disabilities, depending on how long the brain lacks blood flow and which part is affected. Complications may include: Paralysis or loss of muscle movement.
The ability to walk can be recovered after a stroke because the brain and spinal cord can change when a person does physical exercise as rehabilitation. Rehabilitation means to recover function after an injury. There are many types of tools that doctors can use to help with rehabilitation.
The most effective way to treat stroke paralysis is to activate neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity refers to the mechanism your brain uses to reorganize nerve cells and form new neural pathways. These new neural pathways then allow healthy, undamaged portions of the brain to take over control from damaged areas.
You are still the same person, but a stroke may change the way you respond to things. It's not always possible to go back to the way you were before a stroke, but you can get help and support to make the best recovery possible for you. It can be hard for the people around you if they feel you've changed.
Permanent paralysis is when a paralyzing condition does not go away or fade over time. Even with treatment, a person suffering permanent paralysis may never regain control over their lost motor functions—even with therapy and treatment.
“We found that a stroke reduced a patient's life expectancy by five and a half years on average, compared with the general population,” Dr Peng said.
How Does a Stroke Impact Life Expectancy? Despite the likelihood of making a full recovery, life expectancy after stroke incidents can decrease. Unfortunately, researchers have observed a wide range of life expectancy changes in stroke patients, but the average reduction in lifespan is nine and a half years.
Overall, it's important to understand that stroke recovery naturally has an ebb and flow. If you experience rapid, sudden worsening of stroke secondary effects, then it's time to seek medical attention immediately. But if changes are smaller, it could just be the natural process of recovery.
Most patients regain the ability to walk within the first 6 months or, when mobility has been severely affected, within the first 2 years following their stroke. Experts can agree that the chances of recovering function after stroke increase with the intensity of rehabilitation.
Cells damaged, but not beyond repair, will begin to heal and function more normally. Rehabilitation therapies stimulate sprouting of existing nerve cells, causing them to make connections to other nerve cells. The brain can recruit surviving parts to take over the functions of the damaged areas.
A stroke can cause permanent loss of function. The long-term effects of stroke depend on which part of the brain was damaged and by how much. Early treatment and rehabilitation after stroke can improve recovery and many people regain a lot of function.
After a spinal cord injury, many patients do physical therapy to help them attempt to regain mobility. Recently, a series of studies have shown that implanting a stimulator to deliver electric current to a damaged spinal cord could help paralyzed patients walk again.
There isn't a cure for permanent paralysis. The spinal cord can't heal itself. Temporary paralysis like Bell's palsy often goes away over time without treatment. Physical, occupational and speech therapy can accommodate paralysis and provide exercises, adaptive and assistive devices to improve function.
While many stroke survivors might not achieve a full recovery, functional gains are possible with the right approach and circumstances. The process revolves around neuroplasticity after stroke. Neuroplasticity is the brain's innate ability to rewire itself and learn new skills. It occurs based on experience.
Even after surviving a stroke, you're not out of the woods, since having one makes it a lot more likely that you'll have another. In fact, of the 795,000 Americans who will have a first stroke this year, 23 percent will suffer a second stroke.
Call 911 Immediately
Once you recognize that you or someone you witness is having a stroke, the next step is calling 911 quickly, Dr. Humbert stresses. Time is critical if someone is having a stroke. The longer a stroke goes untreated, the more damage can be done — possibly permanently — to the brain.
Don't Put Off Seeking Care During COVID-19
If you or someone you know has a stroke, do not hesitate to call 911 for fear of catching COVID-19. Likewise, do not put off post-stroke care such as physical, speech, and occupational therapy. Receiving prompt care for a stroke is essential for the best possible outcome.
After six months, improvements are possible but will be much slower. Most stroke patients reach a relatively steady state at this point. For some, this means a full recovery. Others will have ongoing impairments, also called chronic stroke disease.
Only about 10 percent of stroke survivors recover almost completely after a stroke. Even then, this is not a full recovery. These stroke survivors regain the majority of their bodily functions with little inhibitions but still may see some limited movements.
Because walking is such an important element of day-to-day functioning, recovering functionality in the leg is the central priority for recovering from a stroke. The arm, though, can be left to do little to nothing for the remainder of the survivor's life.