Introduction to Stroke Rehabilitation

Stroke, also known as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or a brain attack is a form of cardiovascular disease. It occurs when an artery or blood vessel supplying oxygen to the brain is either blocked by a clot or ruptures resulting in brain damage in the area of the event. Stroke has been described as a "a clinical syndrome characterized by rapidly developing clinical symptoms and/or signs of focal, and at times global, loss of cerebral function lasting more than 24 hours or leading to death with no apparent causes other than vascular origin." A similar clinical presentation typically lasting less than 24 hours but no longer than 5 minutes is called a transient ischemic attack (TIA) and is an important indicator that the person is at high risk for a stroke. According the American Heart Association, when compared with people who have not had a TIA, people who do experience a TIA are nine times more likely to go on to have a stroke at some future time.

Stroke is a medical emergency and help must be sought immediately. A person should never wait to see if the symptoms go away before calling for help. Warning signs of stroke include:

• Sudden sensation of numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden difficulty speaking, a loss of fluency, or difficulty understanding speech
• Sudden cognitive problems such as confusion, memory, attention, or problem solving
• Sudden trouble maintaining balance
• Sudden dizziness or difficulty walking
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes, double vision, or blurred vision
• Sudden, severe headache with no identifiable cause; nausea, or vomiting
• Sudden impaired consciousness