Limb paralysis afflicts most people who suffer and survive a stroke, though some spontaneously recover use of the arm within the first three to six months. Unfortunately, many remain impaired despite standard rehabilitation care that typically lasts around six weeks.  Some rehabilitation centersa  around the world, however, have been pushing the frontiers with variations of a retraining technique that involves repetitive exercises.

Stroke survivors who have lost partial use of an arm can be helped with intensive retraining exercises. Perhaps all they need is patience. Evidence has been slowly mounting to contradict the longstanding belief that only minor improvements can be achieved one year after a stroke. The latest study involved people whose arms were moderately to severely affected and who were about four years post-stroke.