Hope for Post-Stroke Paralysis

A few weeks ago, I had a nerve block for some hand surgery, and when I got home I found that my left arm was completely paralyzed. Not only could I not feel it, I could not control any  movement; it was an absolute deadweight.  Despite that fact that I knew the feeling and movement were going to return, the 36 hours that it took allowed me a peek into the world of a stroke survivor. I can tell you it was not pretty. We take so much for granted when we are healthy. When you literally have to lift your arm to move it, the reality of a stroke becomes much more real. Any chance at improvement should be explored.

It is wonderful that there is research going on in the USA on this topic. We can do so little for stroke survivors after the first 6 months. Hopefully this will confirm the results of this Israeli study (http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0053716) offering hope for improvement after the devastating paralysis after a stroke.