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Stroke rehabilitation
A program of stroke rehabilitation is essential if survivors are to regain full function and reacquire essential skills when part of the brain has been damaged.
Stroke rehabilitation typically involves a carefully designed, highly-focused program in which patients repetitively practice key skills. This is exactly the same process used by anyone learning a new skill for the first time, such as playing the piano or pitching a baseball.
A program of stroke rehabilitation often begins within 24 to 48 hours, while the patient is still in the acute-care hospital. As many patients are paralyzed or seriously weakened, the first stage may be promoting the return of independent movement, using either passive or active range-of-motion exercises to help patients change position while lying in bed. From there patients might progress to sitting up, standing, bearing their own weight, and finally walking, albeit often with assistance initially.
For those who have suffered more lasting damage, it may be necessary to learn new ways of performing tasks to work around residual deficits. These can be either physical issues (unable to use one hand for example) or mental ones - for example, learning how to communicate when the ability to use language has been compromised.
Learning to perform some of these basic activities of daily living is the first stage on the road back to full independence.
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