Depending on the severity of stroke and the speed with which appropriate treatment was administered, you may require hospitalisation for as little as a few days to a couple of months. Stroke rehabilitation and recovery begins as soon as the acute phase of treatment is completed and this could start within just days. In some cases, this may begin in a rehabilitation ward or you may be discharged and will have to return regularly for rehabilitation therapy. The initial phase of rehabilitation is critical as this is when there is the greatest scope for rapid progress and recovery, but it is also mentally and physically challenging.
After surviving a stroke, rehabilitation is critical to overcome and cope with a number of debilitating problems that can persist. While the success and effectiveness of a rehabilitation programme will depend on various factors, including the severity of stroke and the rehabilitation programme itself, some disabilities can persist for life, but rehabilitation can help reduce the extent of disability and allows you to regain a higher degree of independence. Persistent problems that are common following a stroke include:
Paralysis and weakness affecting one or both sides of the body
Problems with coordination that can impact fine motor skills
Numbness, tingling, and other strange sensations
Pain in the extremities and limbs that can increase with movement
Difficulty with chewing and swallowing food
Communication problems including speech impairment and trouble understanding speech
Difficulty with expression and control of emotions
Problems with memory, learning, focus, and awareness
Weakened bladder and bowel control
Depression and anxiety
To overcome and learn to cope with such problems, you will need to work closely with a team of stroke specialists, including neurologists, cardiologists, physiotherapists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, dietitians, ophthalmologists, clinical psychologists, and behavioural therapists, among others.
Rehabilitation sessions typically start within a few days or weeks after initial stroke treatment has been administered. This means that you can expect rehabilitation therapy to commence while you are still in hospital involving various exercises and activities to re-learn skills that are impacted by damage to brain cells during a stroke. This process helps to rebuild new neural connections in different areas of the brain that are unaffected by the stroke, allowing you to regain lost functions and abilities.
Key areas of the stroke rehabilitation process include:
Physical therapy – This therapy is critical to restoring your range of movement and coordination skills, allowing you to relearn movements that are essential for basic activities and mobility.
Speech therapy – This helps to restore or improve communication skills, including speaking and understanding speech.
Occupational therapy – This therapy focuses on restoring independence through relearning skills for everyday activities, including eating, dressing, bathing, reading or writing, and so on.
While these are the most basic forms of therapy in a stroke rehabilitation program, there are other components as well, such as nutritional counselling and behavioural therapy. Rehabilitation sessions can be used in combination with medications to treat various complications or mental health problems like depression that tend to develop following a stroke.
The truth is that stroke recovery duration varies greatly among different patients, depending on the severity of stroke, speed with which treatment was accessed, quality of the rehabilitation programme, and dedication to the programme. Recovery can therefore take just a few weeks or months or can go on for years. While some patients can recover fully, regaining complete independence, others can suffer from long term disabilities and may need lifelong care.
Research shows that recovery is most rapid during the initial weeks and slows between the 3 to 6 months after the stroke. This makes rehabilitation critical from the start. As this can be physically and mentally challenging, it is important to have a healthy support system that includes family and loved ones. You can also find inspiration and motivation from support groups through the shared experiences and survival stories of other stroke patients.
