Larger Window for Stroke Rehabilitation

In the United States, stroke is the third leading cause of death, after heart disease and cancer, and a main cause of long-term disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Thankfully, new tests done by research scientists have found that people that have suffered a stroke can be rehabilitated for six months or more after the stroke has occurred. In the recent past, it was believed that stroke sufferers only had the three to six month period after their stroke to regain lost functions through rehabilitation. Now, through the use of new robotic technology and fMRI (functional MRI), which assess the small changes in the oxygenation level of the blood that happen as a result of brain activity, researchers found that it is possible to rehabilitate patients for more than six months.

The study included several right-handed patients that had suffered a stroke involving the left side of the brain six or more months earlier, which impaired the use of their right sides, including their hand. The patients were instructed to exercise their hand by squeezing a robotic device for one hour per day for three days for a period of four weeks. Researchers performed fMRI exams on the patients before, during and at the end of four week period, and again after a period of time had passed. The results of the fMRI tests demonstrated that more than six months after a stroke, the brain's cortex was able to regain lost function through these types of exercises, which improved the use of the functions of the hand. In addition, fMRI showed that even after the patients had stopped the exercises, the functions of the cortex continued to increase.

Each year, an estimated 700,000 strokes occur in the U.S., leaving 80 to 90 percent of those that survive with significant weakness on the side of the body affected by the stroke. Of the stroke cases where a person’s hand is affected, about 65 percent are still not able to use their hand in a functional way after six months. With the results of this new study, stroke survivors may be able to continue their rehabilitation more than six months after their stroke to help regain lost function.

This groundbreaking study was presented at the annual Radiological Society of North America’s (RSNA) annual meeting as the fist study to track stroke rehabilitation using fMRI to view images of the brain.

If you or a loved one has been affected by a stroke and has medical malpractice questions, please contact the stroke malpractice attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, serving clients with Nassau and Suffolk County medical malpractice, Brooklyn medical malpractice, Bronx medical malpractice and Queens medical malpractice cases. Silberstein, Awad & Miklos also serve clients located in Staten Island and Westchester County.

Call us toll-free at 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net