The Long Road of Stroke Recovery

By: Yaakov Kornreich

Published: May 31st, 2012
Latest update: July 10th, 2012

What does an elected official in his fifties have in common with a young Chassidic father, a young mother who works as a freelance copy editor, and a 21-month old infant? All four individuals, from very different backgrounds and walks of life, suffered a stroke which robbed them of some of their previous abilities, and prompted an individualized recovery process which is likely to last for the rest of their lives.

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Each year 700,000 people in the US suffer a stroke. Five hundred thousand of these strokes are first occurrences, while the rest are repeat strokes.

What are the effects of stroke?

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in America and the No. 1 cause of adult disability. There are 7 million stroke survivors living in the US today and two-thirds of them are disabled.

What are the most common types of stroke?

Ischemic strokes due to a blockage of blood flow to an area of the brain account for 87% of all strokes. The other 13% are hemorrhagic strokes due to bleeding inside the brain.

Stroke Warning Signs:

* Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body

* Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding

* Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes

* Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination

* Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

If you detect one or more of these signs, call 911 immediately!

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Facts:

How many people have TBI?

Of the 1.7 million who sustain a TBI each year in the United States:

52,000 die

275,000 are hospitalized

1.365 million are treated and released from an emergency department.

The CDC estimates that 6 million Americans currently have a long-term or lifelong need for help to perform activities of daily living as a result of a TBI.

What causes TBI?

Falls (35.2%);

Motor vehicle-traffic crashes (17.3%);

Struck by/against events (16.5%);

Assaults (10%)

Unknown/Other (21%).

Stroke and Brain Injury resources for more information:

BINA Stroke and Brain Injury Assistance: http://www.binausa.org/

National Institutes of Health – National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/stroke.htm

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tbi/tbi.htm

Brain Injury Association of America: http://www.biausa.org/

American Heart Association/American Stroke Association: http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/