For example, a clot-busting drug must be given within three hours. Before treatment, the neurologist or emergency physician must carefully examine the patient to determine the patient's condition and what caused the stroke. Once the doctor completes these tests, the treatment is selected. For all stroke patients, the aim is to prevent further brain damage. The disability depends on the size and location of the stroke.
Rehabilitation helps restore functions lost from damage due to stroke.
During rehabilitation, most patients will improve to some degree, but many do not recover completely. Unlike skin cells, brain cells that die do not recover and are not replaced by new cells. However, the human brain is adaptable and patients can learn new ways of functioning, using other, undamaged brain cells. This stage is often a challenge as the patient and family work as part of the medical team. Most of the improvement will take place in the first three to six months of the rehabilitation process, but some patients can make excellent progress over longer periods of time.