The brain has incredible potential to adapt, recover and rewrite after a stroke.
Every time a thought, action or movement is repeated, networks of brain cells activate together. With repetition, these connections get stronger and more efficient.
Known as stroke neuroplasticity, this process can rebuild neural connections and pathways in the brain, strengthen older connections and even shift responsibility from one part of the brain to another to work around areas that have been damaged.
It gives stroke survivors the chance to relearn essential functions that have been disrupted by stroke, including speech and movement.
Stroke neuroplasticity isn’t the brain ‘fixing’ itself and recovery isn’t about going back to ‘normal’.
It’s about finding a new way to move forwards.
Stroke permanently changes brain function but the brain can relearn and adapt.
Going back to ‘normal’ isn’t the goal but stroke neuroplasticity offers a new way forward to adapt to the changes.
A lot depends on the type and severity of the stroke, the parts of the brain that have been impacted, and post-stroke support to set the scene for neuroplasticity.
Stroke neuroplasticity is therefore different for everyone and often happens gradually, recovery is rarely linear or predictable.
Some stroke survivors are able to make a full recovery. But even where this isn’t the case, stroke neuroplasticity offers the potential to see improvements in mobility, speech or managing cognitive effects.
Improvements can be slow coming and often invisible and so stroke survivors can feel that they are not making progress or that their recovery is going backwards.
These are very common and normal feelings but even the smallest bit of progress is evidence of neuroplasticity in action.
And neuroplasticity is the key to the best possible recovery.