Impact of Stroke


The following are common impairments following a stroke: 
  • Spasticity is like a "wicked charley horse". Sometimes muscles will involuntarily contract (shorten or flex) when you try to move your limb, creating stiffness and tightness.
  • Balance provides stability when walking, standing, or sitting. About 40% of stroke survivors have serious falls within 1 year of their stroke.
  • Hemiparesis is weakness on one side of the body.
  • Hemiplegia is paralysis on one side of the body.
  • Aphasia is the inability to understand or create speech, writing, or language due to damage to the speech centers of the brain.
  • Neglect is decreased attention and awareness of one side of the body.
  • Dysarthria is a language disorder characterized by difficulty with speaking or forming words.
  • Dysphagia is trouble with eating and swallowing.
  • Urinary Tract Infection is an infection of the urethra, ureters, bladder, or kidney by bacteria. These occur in about 11% of stroke survivors during the first 3 months following stroke.