Rehab Management
March 16, 2022
By Megan Palmer, OTR/L

The magic of neuroplasticity following a stroke has long been a phenomenon of neurological recovery. Thousands of studies have been performed to understand specific treatment interventions that drive this neurological change. How is it that damaged or dead brain tissue following a stroke can be circumvented to allow for new nerve pathways that result in motor recovery?

For a considerable time, stroke was known as a focal disease at the area of infarct, but the neurological deficits that present themselves tend to have an impact on areas distal to the damaged brain tissue, if not to the entire brain. The localized stroke may result in deficits affecting all areas of function including motor, sensory, visual, cognitive, speech, and emotional.