The Best Time For Rehabilitation After A Stroke Might Actually Be 2 To 3 Months Later
People who have had a stroke appear to regain more hand and arm function if intensive rehabilitation starts two to three months after the injury to their brain.
This audio story was provided to AwareGiver by NPR.
A study of 72 stroke patients suggests this is a "critical period," when the brain has the greatest capacity to rewire, a team reports in this week's journal PNAS.
The finding challenges the current practice of beginning rehabilitation as soon as possible after a stroke and suggests intensive rehabilitation should go on longer than most insurance coverage allows, says Elissa Newport, a co-author of the study and director of the Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery at Georgetown University Medical Center.
"Two to three months after a stroke is when people are at home," Newport notes. "That's not when most people are having their rehabilitation."


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