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Information on Stroke Recovery

Last updated on March 8, 2020 By Dan Baumstark, MSPT, CHT Leave a Comment

young woman helping elderly lady with walker
In a nutshell, strokes are awful.

Strokes affect upwards of 800,000 people per year in the U.S. and cost our healthcare system a massive amount of money. There is a huge range of severity involved with strokes. For example, my grandfather had a small stroke that resulted in lost vision in one of his eyes. He was likely on the very high end of recovery, as he did not lose the ability to walk, talk, and generally function independently.

Here is some current data on stroke prognosis. Some of this data is in response to patient questions we have received in the past in regards to loved ones who have suffered strokes. (We do realize that this data is a bit depressing, but having this knowledge may come in useful for those of us who end up having a family member who suffers a stroke.)

1. According to recent data, about 13% of stroke sufferers will die within 30 days of the event. 24% die within one year, and 50% die within 5 years. 14% of those who survive strokes will have another stroke within one year. (Taken from Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics – 2014 update.)

2. Many people who suffer strokes encounter what we physical therapists call “spontaneous recovery.” This does not mean that they are suddenly cured, but rather they regain much of the muscle control that they lost from the event. The current data suggests that there is a window of about three months from the event for spontaneous recovery to occur.

3. The most common manifestation of a stroke is “hemiparesis.” Hemiparesis is the loss of muscle function on one side of the body. This can affect the arm, the leg, the face, or all of the above.

4. The amount that a patient is initially paralyzed from a stroke actually is not the most important predictor of whether or not a patient will recover. The better predictor of recovery has to do with if the patient shows early signs of recovery. (Jorgenson et al 1995, Duncan et al)

physical therapist working with a stroke patient

5. Many stroke sufferers want to know if they will be able to drive a car. In a study done in 2013 (Aufman et al), slightly higher than 30% of post-stroke subjects were able to return to driving a car. (Whether or not they should have been driving a car is an entirely different discussion.)

6. Many family members of stroke victims want to know how likely it will be that their loved ones will walk again. One study in 2011 (Veerbeek et al) used independent sitting as one measure of prediction. For those patients who were able to sit up independently for thirty seconds the day after the stroke, 98% percent of them walked independently at six months. Only 27% of the patients walked independently if he or she could not sit independently three days after the stroke, and only 10% of patients could walk independently if he or she could not sit independently nine days after the stroke.

7. When a patient is hospitalized for a stroke, and it is determined that the patient needs an extended stay for rehabilitation, the average length of the hospital stay is between two and three weeks. The patient on average receives sixty to ninety minutes of physical therapy per day while in the hospital. The patients who do well are typically sent home after this rehabilitation, and the patients who do not recover well are typically sent to skilled-nursing facilities.

Image credits: Top © Lisa F. Young/Fotolia; Bottom © Katarzyna Bialasiewicz/Fotolia.

Filed Under: Featured, Physical Therapy Tagged With: Hand Wrist & Elbow, Knee, Leg



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About Dan Baumstark, MSPT, CHT

Dan is a licensed Physical Therapist in the District of Columbia, license #PT2916. He has a Masters of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Dan specializes in sports medicine & upper extremity rehabilitation. He is a Certified Hand Therapist, certified by the American Society of Hand Therapists (initial certification date 11/6/2004, certification #1041100023). Dan has extensive continuing education in manual therapy from the Michigan State University School of Osteopathic Medicine.
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DISCLAIMER: The information on this site is for Educational Purposes Only and is not designed to diagnose, treat, mitigate, prevent or cure any health conditions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated statements about these health topics or any suggested product compositions. Answers to questions submitted are merely the opinion of the physical therapist and should not be taken as a prescribed course of action. Any advice given by the therapist must be cleared with the treating physician involved in direct patient care. The person posing the question absolves the responder of any liability in regards to opinions given. PhysioDC insists that all patients receive approval from a prescribing physician prior to starting a structured exercise program involving any of the exercises included on this site. PhysioDC.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com; proceeds from product sales help cover the operational & maintenance costs for the site.