What's involved in stroke rehabilitation?

There are many approaches to stroke rehabilitation. Your rehabilitation plan will depend on the part of the body or type of ability affected by your stroke.

Physical activities might include:

• Motor-skill exercises. These exercises can help improve your muscle strength and coordination. You might have therapy to strengthen your swallowing.
• Mobility training. You might learn to use mobility aids, such as a walker, canes, wheelchair or ankle brace. The ankle brace can stabilize and strengthen your ankle to help support your body's weight while you relearn to walk.
• Constraint-induced therapy. An unaffected limb is restrained while you practice moving the affected limb to help improve its function. This therapy is sometimes called forced-use therapy.
• Range-of-motion therapy. Certain exercises and treatments can ease muscle tension (spasticity) and help you regain range of motion.

Technology-assisted physical activities might include:

• Functional electrical stimulation. Electricity is applied to weakened muscles, causing them to contract. The electrical stimulation may help re-educate your muscles.
• Robotic technology. Robotic devices can assist impaired limbs with performing repetitive motions, helping the limbs to regain strength and function.
• Wireless technology. An activity monitor might help you increase post-stroke activity.
• Virtual reality. The use of video games and other computer-based therapies involves interacting with a simulated, real-time environment.

Cognitive and emotional activities might include:

• Therapy for cognitive disorders. Occupational therapy and speech therapy can help you with lost cognitive abilities, such as memory, processing, problem-solving, social skills, judgment and safety awareness.
• Therapy for communication disorders. Speech therapy can help you regain lost abilities in speaking, listening, writing and comprehension.
• Psychological evaluation and treatment. Your emotional adjustment might be tested. You might also have counseling or participate in a support group.
• Medication. Your doctor might recommend an antidepressant or a medication that affects alertness, agitation or movement.

Experimental therapies include:

• Noninvasive brain stimulation. Techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation have been used with some success in a research setting to help improve a variety of motor skills.
• Biological therapies, such as stem cells, are being investigated, but should only be used as part of a clinical trial.
• Alternative medicine. Treatments such as massage, herbal therapy, acupuncture and oxygen therapy are being evaluated.