Current Trends in Stroke Rehabilitation

Abstract

Stroke remains a leading cause of adult disability. The social, physical and psychological consequences of stroke are devastating. With better understanding of causation and breakthrough advances in management, we are witnessing a greater population of stroke survivors with varying neurological and functional deficits. Poststroke rehabilitation is a multi-disciplinary and multi-modal endeavor and not a ‘one size fits all’ intervention. A combination of interventions may be better suited to treat motor and sensory impairments, cognitive problems and psychological issues. There is great interest in exploring novel rehabilitation technologies to augment conventional therapies to reduce neurological disability and improve function. Yoga and spirituality, though ancient practices, are finding a bigger role in field of rehabilitation. In spite of good potentials for recovery, these rehabilitative measures are underutilized and major barriers are limited availability, geographical distance, high cost and lack of awareness about its benefits. While conventional measures are well engraved, this article review the recent concepts in stroke rehabilitation.