Is stroke damage reversible? Stroke is the leading cause
of disability in Canada (Heart & Stroke Foundation of
Ontario, 2008); approximately 70 percent of all persons
who experience stroke are left with some residual
disability. Twenty-five percent of patients will be left
with minor impairments following a stoke, 40 percent
experience moderate to severe impairments requiring
special care, and ten percent of patients will require a
long-term care facility (National Stroke Association,
2008). The ability to “recover” from a stroke will
depend upon a number of factors including the location,
size, treatment, and extent of brain tissue damage. 

Recovering from a stroke is a unique process for each
patient. Some brain cells may be only temporarily
damage, not killed, and thus may resume functioning
(National Stroke Association, 2008). Sometimes, a region
of the brain “takes over” for the region of the brain
that is damaged by the stroke—this in known as
plasticity (McCance & Heubert, 2006; National Stroke
Association). Plasticity is the “ability of the nervous
system pathways to change function, sensitivity, and so
forth in response to changes in the neural environment”
(McCance & Heubert, p. 1702). Plasticity decreases with
age, which helps to explain why older individuals do not
recover as readily as younger stroke sufferers. 

If stroke symptoms are caught early, there are some
treatments that may help to reduce long term sequelae.
For example, if a patient presents to the hospital
within 3 hours of the onset of stroke symptoms, and is
determined to be suffering a non-hemorrhagic stroke, the
patient may be able to receive a thrombolytic drug (i.e.
t-PA). This medication is often successful in
“breaking-up” the blockage and restoring blood flow to
the anoxic brain tissue. T-PA can result in the total
resolution of stroke symptoms and patients have the
possibility of full-recovery.

In the case of Mr. C, type and treatment of his stroke
is unknown. However, knowing that Mr. C suffered his
stroke approximately six weeks ago and has residual
damage (i.e. memory loss and left-sided weakness), the
possibility for a full recovery is highly unlikely. The
greatest chance for a full-recovery or “reversal of
damage” after stoke is dependent upon the initial and
immediate treatment of stroke symptoms. According to
McCance and Heubert (2006), cerebral edema following a
stroke peaks at 72 hours and fully-resolves within two
weeks. Considering that Mr. C has not shown a marked
improvement in his deficits within the past four weeks,
it is unlikely that he will spontaneously regain
function. However, through physical and cognitive
rehabilitation, he may be able to improve his
independence and functional abilities by relearning
basic skills that the stroke may have taken away
(National Stroke Association, 2008). 

References

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario (2008). Centre
for stroke recovery. Retrieved from
www.heartandstroke-centrestrokerecovery.ca on May 27,
2008.

McCance, K. L., & Heuther, S. E. (2006).
Pathophysiology: The biological basis for disease in
adults and children. Elsivier Mosby: Philadelphia.

National Stroke Association. (2008). Effects of Stroke.
Retrieved from www.stroke.org/site. May 26, 2008.