Rehabilitation
Because stroke survivors often have complex rehabilitation needs,
progress and recovery are different. Brain injury resulting from a
stroke can affect the senses, behavioral and thought patterns, speech,
and memory. Temporary or long-term paralysis on one side of the body
can also occur.
Rehabilitation helps to restore abilities and to regain lost capacity. Fort Sanders is home to the world-renowned Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center, a 73-bed inpatient unit focusing on the rehabilitation of stroke, brain and spinal cord injury, and orthopaedic patients.
Not all rehabilitation facilities are equal. Be sure to follow the
guidelines set forth by the Commission on the Accreditation of
Rehabilitation Facilities to ensure that you choose a rehab center that
provides individual attention by board-certified physicians and
certified staff. For a list of questions to ask when choosing a
rehabilitation facility, please click here.
How do Strokes affect normal brain function?
The brain is the most complex part of the human body. It interprets the
senses, initiates movement and controls our behavior. The following
chart explains what each side of the brain does and what is affected
when a stroke occurs.
Left Hemisphere
(stroke on left side – right body affected) |
Right Hemisphere
(stroke on right side – left body affected) |
| Motor speech |
Attention span |
| Expressive speech |
Impulse control |
| Movement on right side of body |
Movement on left side of body |
| Emotion control |
Initiates activities you want to do |
| Understanding math |
Drawing skills |
| Writing |
Remembering visual objects |
| Locating body in space |
Recognition of faces |
| Reading numbers and letters |
Awareness of the left side of the body |
| Recognizing objects |
Emotional stability |
| Remembering written information |
Measuring distances of objects to body |