Fugl-Meyer Assessment
A standardized scale assessing movement quality and coordination in the affected limbs, widely used to track motor recovery over time.
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Pain frequency45
Recovery length95
Exercise load80
Clinician need95
Self-care fit20
Recurrence risk50
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Quick answers
What is the difference between an ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke?
An ischemic stroke results from a blocked blood vessel reducing blood flow to part of the brain, while a hemorrhagic stroke results from bleeding into or around brain tissue; ischemic strokes account for the large majority of cases.
What is hemiparesis?
Hemiparesis refers to weakness affecting one side of the body, a common effect of stroke depending on which side of the brain was affected, since each brain hemisphere primarily controls the opposite side of the body.
How much recovery is possible after a stroke?
The degree of recovery varies widely depending on stroke severity, location, and how quickly rehabilitation begins, with many people making significant functional gains, though some degree of lasting impairment is common, particularly after more severe strokes.
What is spasticity?
Spasticity is an increase in muscle tone and stiffness that can develop after stroke due to changes in how the nervous system controls muscle activity, sometimes making movement more difficult or affecting positioning and comfort.
What is constraint-induced movement therapy?
Constraint-induced movement therapy is a rehabilitation approach that involves restricting use of the less-affected limb to encourage increased use and relearning in the more affected limb, applied in appropriate candidates.
Why is early rehabilitation emphasized after stroke?
Early, appropriately dosed rehabilitation is associated with better functional outcomes in many studies, reflecting both the brain's capacity for early neuroplastic change and the importance of preventing complications from prolonged inactivity.
Post-stroke assessment typically combines standardized scales evaluating movement, strength, and function with more general observation of gait, balance, and use of the affected limb during daily tasks.
Because new stroke symptoms or medical complications can occur during recovery, clinicians remain alert to a specific set of red-flag signs throughout the rehabilitation process.
Assessment tests
Modified Ashworth Scale
A clinical scale grading the degree of resistance felt when moving a joint through its range, used to quantify spasticity severity.
Berg Balance Scale
A standardized set of balance tasks used to quantify balance function and monitor progress and fall risk during recovery.
Timed 10-meter walk test
Timing how long it takes to walk a set distance provides an objective, easily repeated measure of walking function and recovery progress.
Functional Independence Measure
A broad scale assessing independence across self-care, mobility, and cognitive tasks, commonly used to track overall rehabilitation progress.
Warning signs
These warrant prompt clinical review rather than unsupervised exercise progression.
New sudden weakness, facial drooping, or speech difficulty
These are classic warning signs of a new or recurrent stroke (often remembered by the FAST acronym) and require immediate emergency medical attention.
Sudden severe headache
A new, unusually severe headache can indicate a hemorrhagic event and warrants urgent evaluation, particularly in someone with stroke risk factors.
New difficulty swallowing
New or worsening difficulty swallowing raises concern for aspiration risk and typically prompts a swallowing evaluation before continuing oral intake as usual.
Signs of blood clot in the leg
Swelling, warmth, and pain in one leg during recovery, particularly with reduced mobility, raises concern for deep vein thrombosis and requires prompt medical evaluation.
This combination of standardized functional scales and vigilant red-flag screening allows the rehabilitation team to track meaningful progress while remaining alert to the medical complications that can occur during stroke recovery.
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