11 common sequelae of stroke (and what recovery is like)

After having a stroke, a person may experience consequences such as muscle weakness, loss of movement control, pain in parts of the body, facial asymmetry, difficulty speaking and/or mental confusion depending on the region of the brain affected.

A stroke is a situation caused by the interruption of blood flow through a cerebral vessel or rupture of a vessel in the brain, which can cause serious consequences when not identified and treated quickly. Understand better what stroke is and the symptoms.

To reduce the limitations caused by a stroke, it is recommended to consult a neurologist, who is the best doctor to assess the consequences of a stroke and advise the most appropriate treatment for each person.

Main sequels

The main sequelae of stroke are:

1. Muscle weakness

Depending on the severity and area of ​​the brain affected, a stroke can cause muscle weakness, resulting in difficulty moving the body. It can harm the person when walking, sitting, moving their arms or holding objects, for example.

Stroke can affect areas of the brain responsible for controlling movement, which can cause the person to experience symptoms such as involuntary muscle contractions, abnormal postures and tremors.

3. Changes in sensitivity

When areas of the brain responsible for sensitivity are affected by stroke, symptoms such as numbness, pain and increased or decreased sensitivity may appear, indicating the development of neuropathic pain. Understand what neuropathic pain is and the symptoms.

4. Asymmetry of the face

After a stroke, a person may have an asymmetrical face if they do not regain control of their facial muscles. Thus, you may have a crooked mouth, a forehead without wrinkles and an eye that droops on just one side of your face, for example.

5. Difficulty communicating

Some people have difficulty communicating after a stroke, and may have difficulty speaking correctly and/or changing the tone or pitch of their voice, for example, which makes interacting with family and friends difficult.

Difficulty communicating in the event of a stroke results from the loss of control of the muscles necessary to produce speech correctly and is known as dysarthria. See what dysarthria is and the symptoms.

6. Changes in vision

In some cases, stroke can cause changes in vision such as blurred or double vision, decreased visual field and difficulty recognizing objects. In more serious cases, it can also lead to complete loss of vision.

7. Urinary and/or fecal incontinence

Incontinence may arise after a stroke due to the development of weakness in the muscles that control urination and evacuation, leading to the involuntary loss of urine and/or feces. Urinary incontinence is the most common after a stroke. Check out the symptoms of urinary incontinence.

8. Difficulty swallowing food

Some people may also have difficulty swallowing food after a stroke, which is known as dysphagia and increases the risk of choking. Understand better what dysphagia is.

Therefore, it is important to adapt food to each person’s ability to eat, preparing softer foods or using thickeners to improve the consistency of meals, for example.

9. Mental confusion

Mental confusion after a stroke can cause a person to have difficulty understanding what is said, reasoning or recognizing familiar people and/or places, for example, due to changes in brain functioning. Find out more symptoms of mental confusion.

10. Seizures

Some people may experience seizures after a stroke. The risk is greater in the case of a hemorrhagic stroke, but it also depends on which part of the brain was affected and the severity of the stroke.

11. Depression

People who have had a stroke are at greater risk of developing depression, which may be caused by hormonal changes due to brain damage and/or difficulties in living with the limitations resulting from the stroke.

What is recovery like after stroke?

To reduce the limitations that stroke causes and recover some of the damage caused by the disease, it is essential to undergo treatment with a multidisciplinary team, even after leaving the hospital.

The most recommended therapies for recovery after stroke are:

• Physiotherapy through sessions with a specialized physiotherapist to help the person regain balance, shape and muscle tone, allowing them to walk, sit and lie down alone again.
• Cognitive stimulation with occupational therapists and nurses who carry out games and activities to reduce mental confusion;
• Speech therapy with sessions with speech therapists in order to recover the ability to communicate.

Treatment should be started as soon as possible, preferably while still in the hospital, and continue to be carried out in rehabilitation clinics and/or at home.

The length of stay in hospital depends on the severity of the stroke. However, it is common for a person to be hospitalized for at least a week and need to undergo rehabilitation therapies for another month in some cases.