Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation

Inpatient Rehabilitation 
We offer inpatient therapies at Duke Rehabilitation Institute in Durham, NC for people who have lost physical and/or cognitive function and who meet a list of admission criteria.

Outpatient Rehabilitation Services

• Neurological Rehabilitation: Specialized therapists work together to assess any physical impairments your stroke may have caused. From there, a rehabilitation team will develop a plan to help you regain mobility and independence.
   
• Speech Therapy: Stroke can affect your ability to speak or comprehend speech, including causing aphasia or other language disorders. Our speech pathologists can help you recover lost skills and learn new ways to communicate.
   
• Swallow Therapy: To address any difficulty swallowing (a condition called oropharyngeal dysphagia) due to a stroke, experts offer therapy and other treatments to make eating and drinking safer and easier.
   
• Stroke Risk Factor Management: Medically supervised exercise programs, nutrition and weight loss counseling, as well as blood pressure, lipid, and diabetes management are available to help reduce your risk of having another stroke. 

One of the most common complications after a stroke, arm and leg weakness (also known as motor impairment) and muscle spasms can range from mild to severe. To treat these symptoms, Duke offers these leading therapies:

• Medications: Medicines help reduce spasticity.
• Botulinum Toxin Injections: Periodic intramuscular injections into key muscles, along with rehabilitation therapy, reduce spasms and help muscles to relax.
• Surgery: For people with severe spasticity, surgically releasing a tendon, removing all or part of a nerve (neurectomy), or cutting problematic nerve roots (selective dorsal rhizotomy) can reduce muscular tone and help restore function and mobility.

We provide mental health services for patients and caregivers who need support to cope with the emotional challenges that a stroke can bring. Respite care provides caregivers a break from tending to their loved one while a qualified replacement fills in temporarily. These services are provided locally by Caregivers Support Center and Durham Center for Senior Life.

Specialized Stroke Clinics
Our stroke care team takes a comprehensive approach to your care. We offer reserved appointment times for people with specific or complex stroke-related conditions.

• Stroke Behavioral and Cognitive Recovery (THRIVE) Clinic: A vascular neurologist  (who specializes in treating cerebrovascular diseases like stroke) will assess your condition and connect you with services and professionals who can help address depression, anxiety, communication difficulties, fatigue, and quality-of-life issues.
   
• Stroke Motor Recovery Clinic: A vascular neurologist works with rehabilitation therapists to address motor impairment symptoms, including arm and leg weakness and muscle spasms. Services include assessment for the following treatments: intensive rehab therapy (such as constraint-induced movement therapy), wheelchair use, functional electrical stimulation, nerve stimulator to reduce leg edema, and spasticity treatment.
   
• Eye Stroke Clinic: A vascular neurologist works together with a neuro-ophthalmologist and an occupational therapist to comprehensively evaluate people who have experienced an eye stroke. 

Stroke Survivor Support Group 
Our stroke survivor support group meets at Duke Regional Hospital. The meeting is open to all survivors as well as their friends and family. For more information, email strokesupport@duke.edu.