[WEB SITE] Stroke Recovery Theories Challenged By New Studies Looking at Brain Lesions, Bionic Arms

July 10, 2013

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Stroke survivors left weakened or partially paralyzed may be able to regain more arm and hand movement than their doctors realize, say experts at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center who have just published two new studies evaluating stroke outcomes.

One study analyzed the correlation between long-term arm impairment after stroke and the size of brain lesions caused by patients’ strokes – a visual measure often used by doctors to determine rehabilitation therapy type and duration.  The other study compared the efficacy of a portable robotics-assisted therapy program with a traditional program to improve arm function in patients who had experienced a stroke as long as six years ago.

“These studies were looking at two entirely different aspects of a stroke, yet they both suggest that stroke patients can indeed regain function years and years after the initial event,” said Stephen Page, PhD, OTR/L, author of both studies and associate professor of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences in Ohio State’s College of Medicine. “Unfortunately, we know that this is not a message that many patients and especially their clinicians may be getting, so the patients may not be reaching their true potential for recovery.”

more –> Stroke Recovery Theories Challenged By New Studies Looking at Brain Lesions, Bionic Arms.