Medical Questions » Brain Questions » Question No. 164
| Question: | Recently I suffered a mild stroke which left me with a weakness in my left leg and hand and a feeling that part of my mouth and tongue are anaesthetised. Will any of these symptoms disappear with time? Is there anything I can do to help them recover? The only treatment I am having is half an aspirin a day. Is this correct? |
| Answer: | A stroke is usually caused by a blood clot or blockage in one of the small arteries in the brain. The area of brain supplied by this artery can no longer obtain any blood, and so dies. The effects of a stroke depend upon the area of the brain that is affected, so that one patient may be totally paralysed down one side of the body, while another may have the relatively mild symptoms that you describe.
After a stroke, there may be recovery of some brain cells that have been damaged, but not killed, by the lack of blood. Other parts of the brain may also learn to perform some of the tasks originally undertaken by the cells killed by the stroke.
The damage caused by a stroke usually stabilises within a few hours or days. Aspirin is used as soon as possible, and lifelong after a stroke in most patients, to prevent any further blood clots from developing, and prevent rhe clot that is present from enlarging.
Sometimes a stroke is caused by bleeding from an artery that bursts in the brain. In this case aspirin is not used.
After a stroke, most improvement will occur in the first few weeks, some improvement after a few months, and virtually no improvemenr will occur after a year.
Physiotherapists, speech therapists and occupational therapists work with doctors to maximise improvements in the brain' s capacity to learn new ways to perform tasks.
In your case, there is very little that can be done to improve the mouth and tongue feeling, but continued therapy for up to a year after the stroke may result in improvement of your arm and leg function. Regular exercises and physiotherapy after a year may be necessary to prevent you losing skills that you have learnt. |
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