Tuesday, April 28, 2009

"Functional" ≠ Stroke Recovery












The focus, nay obsession, clinicians have with "function" has the potential to hinder recovery. Basically the word function and the word recovery are used interchangeably. But they mean different things.
"Function" is a buzzword that makes everybody in rehab feel good. But it has its downside. Focusing on function gets in the way of the neuroplastic rewiring necessary for the fullest recovery endpoint. How can this be? Let me ask this rhetorical... Does using a boat make you a better swimmer? 

2 comments:

Ozone said...

great post and even more excellent blog. Have you looked into Mirror Therapy in the assistance of stroke recovery? Please contact me or visit www.mirrorboxtherapy.com and overview.

Regards

David Kitchenham
Reflex Pain Management Ltd
UK and Europe +44(0) 161 4086024
US (347) 329-5416
Mobile 07949100240

Peter G Levine said...

I have. And mirror therapy (MT) is one of the treatment options I advocate to survivors and during talks I do for therapists.

I even use the information from your website to talk about MT. But I'll suggest to you that your product is not the best option for survivors. The reason is technical. I'll be glad to discuss it with you. Email me at strongerafterstroke@yahoo.com.

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