Rehabilitation: Stroke

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Rehabilitation

About two-thirds of people who have had a stroke will need some form of rehabilitation therapy (see "Choosing a rehabilitation program"). For many people, a rehabilitation program can make the crucial difference between regaining the ability to function in daily life or remaining dependent and severely impaired. Others may be too severely impaired to take advantage of rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation is treatment designed to help you regain some or all of the abilities that were impaired by the stroke. It can entail building strength in your arms and legs, learning how to walk again, improving your speech, and bringing back your memory. Rehabilitation can also teach you how to adapt to a permanent disability — for example, learning to use a wheelchair or getting in and out of the shower by grabbing special bars.

You may think of rehabilitation as something that comes after stroke treatment, but it's actually part of stroke treatment. Health professionals regard it as the final phase of therapy. Rehabilitation is work. Whether it involves physical exercises or speech therapy, improvement will require an investment of time and energy. Additionally, it's not uncommon for someone who has had a stroke to experience depression, which can dampen motivation for the rehabilitation program. If you feel depressed, it's important to seek treatment early so you can proceed with the work of regaining some of your lost functioning. Psychological therapy can help you deal with depression and help you improve social skills that may have been affected by the stroke.

Other aspects of rehabilitation include support groups and education for families on how to care for a relative who is recovering from a stroke. Learning to use a variety of physical and psychological skills can help someone affected by stroke continue to live a rewarding and active life.

Last updated:	September 05, 2008