How long does recovery from stroke take? Can it continue for more than six months?
The greatest degree of recovery from stroke occurs in the first six months. It is also during this period that rehabilitation is most helpful. I think it is fair to say, however, that recovery can continue for a much longer period. Clearly, learning is a life-long process, and recovery from stroke is in a sense a kind of re-learning how to do things, perhaps in a different way. Just as each of us can continue to learn new ways of coping with life’s frustrations, so stroke survivors can continue indefinitely to learn ways of working around their limitations. It is important to instill this attitude in patients during the first six months. Thereafter, much of the work can probably be done by the patient and family, independent of formal rehabilitative therapy. From a psychological perspective, stroke survivors should be encouraged never to give up or to stop trying. If they do, the belief that they will never get any better becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
