Severely impaired stroke survivors regain arm function after intensive physical therapy

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-06/uof-sis061215.php

Public Release: 12-Jun-2015
University of Florida

Time may heal all wounds, but in the case of stroke survivors, the key to better recovery is to spend more time in an intensive physical therapy program, according to a University of Florida Health study.

After a stroke, the brain and body can start recovering immediately and can show improvement up to six months afterward, said UF Health researcher Janis Daly, Ph.D. But this study focused on people who had persistent disability even a year or more after completing standard care. The study found that extensive physical therapy helped them recover motor function, even though they began the study treatment a year or more after stroke.

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'Often after stroke, people can recover normal function without intensive treatment, in response to normal protective physiological processes. Some people recover quite well and can function normally. For this study, however, we enrolled people who had a stroke a year or more prior to their study participation, and who were still severely impaired,' Daly said. 'The magnitude of recovery we observed in our study is higher than any other studies that have been published so far, which supports the promise of longer treatment and more intensive treatment after stroke, even for those who are more severely impaired.'