How to Reverse Damage From a Stroke

Reversing damage caused by a stroke requires immediate medical intervention as well as a long-term commitment to physical therapy in order to regain function, mobility and speech. Medical intervention cannot fully reverse 100 percent of the damage caused by a severe stroke, and those who have suffered severe brain damage are unlikely to regain control of their lives. However, researchers are developing promising new techniques that appear to almost fully reverse damage caused by a stroke up to five years after the stroke.

Things You'll Need

• Speech therapist
• Physical therapist
• Occupational therapist
• Psychologist/psychiatrist
• Intra-arterial TPA

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Seek treatment immediately if you suspect you are having a stroke. If you are experiencing numbness on one side of the body, confusion or difficulty speaking, loss of vision (especially in one eye), dizziness, difficulty walking or severe headache, call 911 and head to the nearest hospital. The faster you seek treatment, the more likely you will be able to reverse damage caused by the stroke.

• 2

  Administer intra-arterial and intravenous TPA within three hours of stroke symptoms. An intra-arterial TPA injects clot-dissolving medication directly in the stroke-causing blood clot, allowing the stroke victim to recover nearly all function just a few hours to a few days after a stroke. Intra-venous TPA can also dissolve a blood clot. TPA treatment is only effective in the first three hours following the initial symptoms of a stroke, and few stroke victims seek treatment so quickly.

• 3

  Begin therapy immediately. Depending on the severity of the stroke, patients should begin therapy two days to one week after the stroke. The stroke victim must be prepared for a long and difficult recovery that can last anywhere from six months to one year. The following therapies are essential in order to reverse damage caused by a stroke, or at least recover partial function.

• 4

  Re-learn basics such as walking, sitting and switching positions through physical therapy.

• 5

  At least partially recover the ability to communicate in an understandable fashion with speech therapy. Individuals who suffer a severe stroke often lose the ability to speak.

• 6

  Re-learn how to eat, swallow, read, take a shower, use the bathroom alone and get dressed with occupational therapy.

• 7

  Individuals who have suffered a stroke must deal with a significant loss in independence, mobility and, often, self-esteem. See a psychologist or psychiatrist to help deal with these emotions. The healthier the victim's mental state, the more likely of recovery and reversal of damage.

• 8

  Ask your doctor about new stroke therapies. Researchers believe that in the next few years, new therapies will be available that can completely or almost completely reverse the damage caused by a stroke.