In my view stroke rehab is a complete disaster and I've seen nothing that suggests the ensuing 12 years have improved it.
0. There is no fast, easy and objective way to diagnose a stroke.
1. tPA may save your life with tPA having a 88% failure rate for full recovery.
2. Your neurologist doesn't have any concrete stroke protocols to save all the neurons that are dying in the first week.
3. Your neurologist or physiatrist doesn't have any clue about how to get you to full recovery. (Ask them exactly how to do it), you'll get excuses.
4. Only 10% get to full recovery..
5. No protocols to prevent your 33% dementia chance post-stroke from an Australian study.
6. Nothing to alleviate your fatigue.
7. Nothing that will cure your spasticity.
8. Nothing on cognitive training unless you find this yourself.
9. No published stroke protocols.
10. No way to compare your stroke hospital results vs. other stroke hospitals.
Everything in stroke is a complete failure.
Rehabilitation After Stroke: Current State of the Science
Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports volume 10, pages 158–166 (2010)
Abstract
Stroke rehabilitation is evolving into a clinical field based on the neuroscience of recovery and restoration. There has been substantial growth in the number and quality of clinical trials performed. Much effort now is directed toward motor restoration and is being led by trials of constraint-induced movement therapy. Although the results do not necessarily support that constraint-induced movement therapy is superior to other training methods, this treatment has become an important vehicle for developing clinical trial methods and studying the physiology underlying activity-based rehabilitation strategies. Other promising interventions include robotic therapy delivery, magnetic and electrical cortical stimulation, visualization, and constraint-driven aphasia therapies. Amphetamine has not been demonstrated to be effective, and studies of other pharmacologic agents are still preliminary. Future studies will incorporate refinements in clinical trial methods and improved activity- and technology-based interventions.
