If you’ve had a stroke, you may need special rehabilitation so your body will function better and you can get back to your daily activities. Stroke, or cerebral vascular disease, is one of the most common, disabling health problems that requires rehabilitation.

If you have weakness on one side of your body or trouble understanding or speaking, you may be helped by our team approach to stroke rehabilitation. Our personalized team approach led by experts uses various therapeutic interventions to help you recover from a stroke.

Studies indicate that where a stroke survivor goes for treatment can make all the difference in his or her recovery. Rusk Rehabilitation Hospital, an affiliate of Encompass Health and MU Health Care, is a specialized acute rehabilitation hospital that delivers a comprehensive program of medical, nursing and therapy care to successfully address the individual needs of each stroke patient.

What to expect with stroke rehabilitation

After an evaluation to learn about your rehabilitation goals, you can join an inpatient or outpatient program that helps you become as independent as possible.

Our goal-focused approach to stroke rehabilitation helps:

  • Build strength
  • Develop new cognitive and behavioral strategies for any functional losses
  • Improve balance, mobility, speech and swallowing
  • Restore physical function and daily living skills

Our team will help you every step of the way to make sure you have the best recovery possible.

Stroke treatments we offer

The focus of our outpatient Stroke Clinic is to provide a complete evaluation and treatment of patients who have suffered a stroke.

Our services include:

  • Community integration. We offer counseling and education to help you return to your family life, social activities and hobbies after a stroke.
  • Driving evaluation and training. Our team checks your driving skills and, if needed, helps re-train you to drive safely.
  • Neuropharmacology. This includes prescription medicines to help you manage symptoms after a stroke.
  • Neuropsychological evaluation. This checks how well your brain is working after a stroke.
  • Therapy recommendations. Our team recommends speech, occupational and physical therapy.
  • Vocational rehabilitation. This includes therapy and training to help you get back to your work activities.

We also have a separate clinic for complete evaluation and treatment of spasticity (when the muscles are continuously contracted) related to stroke.