Right side hemiplegia due to a Stroke two years ago: treatment options

Dear Ask The Doctor: Yes I was wondering, I had stroke just over two years ago my whole right side is paralyzed. Is there anything I can do for my problem also I was wondering if there is a steroid that can help my paralysis??

Dear Chellis: Unfortunately the use of steroids in your case is not a treatment alternative. After two years the neurologic damage is already established and you have sequels of it at this present time. I strongly recommend a comprehensive rehab program to preserve your remaining motor, cognitive and communication functions. Rehabilitation should include therapy directed at specific training of skills and functional training. Therapy should be given with sufficient intensity to promote skill acquisition. Stroke rehabilitation is a combined and coordinated use of medical, social, educational, and vocational measures to retrain a person who has suffered a stroke to his maximal physical, psychological, social, and vocational potential, consistent with physiologic and environmental limitations. Remarkable recoveries have been reported in 3-6 years. (Patients have returned to work 3 years post stroke).Starting rehabilitation early correlates with better outcome but may be confounded by case severity. However, stroke rehabilitation improves functional ability even in patients who are elderly or medically ill, as well as in those who have severe neurologic/functional deficits. Significant gains that are achieved are not attributable only to spontaneous recovery.