St. Joseph Hospital Physical Rehabilitation Services provides patients who have had a stroke with a specially tailored neuro rehabilitation program. Patients work with compassionate, licensed occupational, physical and speech rehabilitation specialists with the goal of optimal functioning and restoration.
Stroke's Impact
More than four million Americans live with the effects of stroke.
- 10% of stroke survivors recover almost entirely
- 25% recover but with minor impairments
- 40% experience moderate to severe impairments that require special care
- 10% will require care in a nursing home or other long-term facility
- 15% die soon after the stroke
- Approximately 14% of stroke survivors experience a second stroke in the first year following a stroke.
Rehabilitation is an ongoing process. How successful rehabilitation is will depend on the amount of brain damage as welll as the skill of your rehabilitation team, support of family and friends and how soon you begin rehabilitation after a stroke. How a person is affected by a stroke will depend on the type of stroke, where in the brain the damage occured and its severity. While each person is unique, effects may include:
- Weakness (called hemiparesis) or paralysis (called hemiplegia) on one side of the body possibly affecting the whole side or just the arm or leg. The weakness or paralysis is on the side of the body opposite the side of the brain affected by the stroke.
- Spasticity, stiffness in muscles or painful muscle spasms
- Balance and/or coordination problems
- Difficulty using language, including understanding speech or writing (called aphasia); and knowing the right words but having trouble saying them clearly (called dysarthria)
- Pain, numbness or odd sensations
- Memory, thinking, attention or learning problems
- Trouble swallowing (called dysphagia)
- Bowel or bladder control problems
- Fatigue
- Difficulty controlling emotions (called emotional lability)
- Depression
- Challenges with daily tasks
Because of advances in treatment as well as rehabilitation, stroke victims' potential for recovery is more hopeful than ever before. Our Rehab team, working with patients and their loved ones, will create a therapeutic plan designed to help the individual enhance health, regain independence and achieve a better quality of life. To learn more about Rehabilitation Services' care of stroke patients, click here.