Why there is new hope for Britain’s 1.2 million stroke survivors

Well then write it up as a protocol and define the EXACT OBJECTIVE damage diagnosis for those it would help. 

Why there is new hope for Britain’s 1.2 million stroke survivors

Britain’s 1.2 million stroke survivors have been given hope of further recovery after a groundbreaking study found they can make significant improvements in arm and hand use for at least 20 years after their stroke.
The findings overturn the medical consensus that after three to six months little can be done to improve a stroke patient’s ability to carry out everyday tasks such as tying shoe laces or doing up buttons.
The consensus means that stroke survivors currently receive little to no therapy on the NHS after the first few months.

“This is potentially a game-changer and I’m really excited about it,”
Nick Ward

But new research finds that giving patients physiotherapy 20 years – and potentially more – after their stroke can bring life-changing improvements in hand, arm, shoulder, elbow and finger movements.
Furthermore, the researchers found that survivors are able to tolerate – and benefit from – much greater doses of therapy than they get at the moment.
“This is potentially a game-changer and I’m really excited about it,” said lead researcher Professor Nick Ward, of University College London.

‘Could really make a difference’

“This feels like the most significant thing I’ve been involved with – like it could really make a difference,” added Prof Ward, who also a consultant at the NHS Foundation Trust National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery in London.
“All this talk about the window of opportunity shutting within which you could recover is nonsense,” he said.
The study involved 238 stroke survivors between three months and 20 years after their stroke. It found that, in some cases, the therapy made the difference between being able to carry out everyday tasks such as tying back their hair or dressing themselves – and not.
This, in turn, can make the difference between being able to live independently or being dependent on others for at least one aspect of their daily care, according to Prof Ward.

Expert reaction

Experts in the field who were not involved in the study welcomed its findings.
“This study is incredibly important because it shows clearly that people still have the capacity to recover years after their stroke. Health authorities everywhere should take note and offer far more therapy,” said John Krakauer, of John Hopkins University in the US.
Professor Marion Walker, of Nottingham University, added: “This study has shown that you can get a sea change – not only to your impairment but to your functional ability. And if you’re a stroke survivor with very little arm movement this is golddust, it gives hope.”
Dr Kate Holmes, Assistant Director of Research at the Stroke Association, added: “This research is encouraging because it shows that real improvements can be made with therapy far later than is generally considered to be the case.”

What happens next

Prof Ward and others stressed that more studies are needed to confirm his findings and to determine which kinds of therapy would be most effective. He hopes these will lead to therapy being available for long-suffering stroke survivors in at least some specialist clinics with five years.
For now, he advises stroke survivors to pester their GP for some top-up therapy.
All stroke patients are eligible for this but most don’t know about it – and unless you push for it you won’t get it, he says.
The research is published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

Gerry Hurrell, the father of six who had a stroke in July 2017.

Gerry Hurrell from Digswell, Hertfordshire: A case study

The 58-year old father of six had four strokes over two weeks in July 2017. Since then he has demonstrated what he calls his “bloody-minded” streak as he battles to regain the full use of his body.

He is scathing of the notion that nothing more can be done to improve movement after a few months – and wholeheartedly agrees with the findings in the new study.

“I remember when I had my stroke, I read pamphlets that said ‘Oh, I’ve only got six months to improve, otherwise I’m not going to make it’. Politely, that’s complete rubbish,” he said.

Still improving

“Even now after 18 months I still feel improvements are being made. My experience encourages me to go on. I don’t think for a second I’ve finished improving,” he said.

“Unfortunately, because of the depressive nature of strokes, I think an awful lot of people give up too easily, too quickly. I’m not blaming them but I think they don’t have the support network around them, either through family or through physiotherapists. You really need that.”