Recovery of function is possible long after a!

A friend emailed me this journal article, and I wanted to share it with you who are recovering from a stroke, or helping somebody else recover from a stroke.  I thought you might find it inspiring to know that a group of researchers analyzed the results of 15 different studies performed on stroke survivors at least 6 months after their stroke.  These individual studies used various methods of active physical therapy treatment, compared to no treatment or to placebo treatment (likely passive range of motion).  Here’s what they concluded:

“A variety of physiotherapy interventions improve functional outcomes, even when applied late after stroke. These findings challenge the concept of a plateau in functional recovery of patients who had experienced stroke and should be valued in planning community rehabilitation services.”

J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2011 Feb;82(2):136-43. Epub 2010 Sep 8.

Here are just a few specific forms of rehab that have research supporting their effectiveness in chronic stroke deficits: (click on the item for a link to more information)

• Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy
• Feldenkrais Method
• Mental Practice