BMJ  2007;334:86-90 (13 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.39059.456794.68

Clinical Review

Review of stroke rehabilitation

¹ Academic Unit of Elderly Care and Rehabilitation, University of Leeds and Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford BD5 0NA

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Stroke causes an estimated 5.54 million deaths worldwide each year.¹ The burden of stroke is set to rise over future decades because of demographic transitions of populations, particularly in developing countries.^w1 Despite a meagre research investment^w2 important progress has been made, reflected in various guideline initiatives.^{2 3 4} These guidelines relate mainly to stroke services in developed countries. The main burden of stroke to individuals and to societies is as a leading cause for disability—about 40% of stroke survivors are left with some degree of functional impairment. Reducing this burden requires optimising stroke prevention and improving acute care, but rehabilitation is equally essential.

The many definitions of rehabilitation, most of which apply well to stroke, can be confusing. However, a clear consensus exists that the purpose of rehabilitation is to limit the impact of stroke related brain damage on daily life by using a mixture of therapeutic and problem solving approaches (see . . . [Full text of this article]

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