ElderWeb

The latest issue of Stroke, the Journal of the American Heart Association, features exciting news for stroke victims. Every year, about 600,000 Americans suffer a stroke. Of these victims, 160,000 die and 300,000 are left seriously disabled, often losing the use of an arm or leg. Traditional therapy has had limited success in restoring function to the affected limbs.

This new research focused on the use of "constraint-induced movement therapy", in which the good arm of the patient is restrained in order to force him or her to use the weakened limb continuously throughout the day. The research showed that the area of the cortex that controls muscle movement recovered significantly after just 12 days of therapy, and the brain area actually increased in size by about 83%. The research also indicates that treatment is effective no matter how much time has elapsed since the stroke. The National Institute on Health may institute further research into this treatment.