Advances in the Rehabilitation of Stroke

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Medical Research".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 250

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. School of Nursing, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan
2. Department of Nursing, Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei 11490, Taiwan
Interests: rehabilitation; nursing; exercise; chronic disease management
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, Advances in the Rehabilitation of Stroke, brings together current research and emerging insights aimed at improving outcomes across the continuum of stroke rehabilitation. It welcomes studies that explore innovative interventions, predictive factors, care models, and outcome measures relevant to the acute, post-acute, and chronic phases of recovery. Topics may include the effectiveness of multidisciplinary rehabilitation programs, functional and cognitive assessments, prognostic indicators, health service utilization, and patient-centered care strategies. Collectively, the contributions to this Special Issue aim to support evidence-based practice and foster interdisciplinary dialogue to advance the field of stroke rehabilitation. In addition, research employing any type of study design that contributes to the current knowledge in this area is encouraged for submission.

Dr. Chia Huei Lin
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • stroke
  • acute stroke
  • chronic stroke
  • post-acute stroke
  • functional recovery
  • rehabilitation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 562 KiB  
Article
Effectiveness of a Post-Acute-Care Rehabilitation Program in Patients with Stroke: A Retrospective Cohort Study
by Yi-Pang Lo, Mei-Chen Wang, Yao-Hsiang Chen, Shang-Lin Chiang and Chia-Huei Lin
Life 2025, 15(8), 1216; https://doi.org/10.3390/life15081216 - 1 Aug 2025
Abstract
Early rehabilitation is essential for restoring functional recovery in patients with stroke, particularly during the early phase of post-acute care (PAC), or the subacute stage. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a 7-week PAC rehabilitation program in improving muscle strength, physical performance, [...] Read more.
Early rehabilitation is essential for restoring functional recovery in patients with stroke, particularly during the early phase of post-acute care (PAC), or the subacute stage. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a 7-week PAC rehabilitation program in improving muscle strength, physical performance, and functional recovery. A total of 219 inpatients with stroke in the subacute stage were initially recruited from the PAC ward of a regional teaching hospital in Northern Taiwan, with 79 eligible patients—within 1 month of an acute stroke—included in the analysis. The program was delivered 5 days per week, with 3–4 sessions daily (20–30 min each, up to 120 min daily), comprising physical, occupational, and speech–language therapies. Sociodemographic data, muscle strength, physical performance (Berg Balance Scale [BBS], gait speed, and 6-minute walk test [6MWT]), and functional recovery (modified Rankin Scale [mRS], Barthel Index [BI], Instrumental Activities of Daily Living [IADL], and Fugl–Meyer assessment: sensory and upper extremity) were collected at baseline, 3 weeks, and 7 weeks. Generalized estimating equations analyzed program effectiveness. Among the 56 patients (70.9%) who completed the program, significant improvements were observed in the muscle strength of both the affected upper (B = 0.93, p < 0.001) and lower limbs (B = 0.88, p < 0.001), as well as in their corresponding unaffected limbs; in physical performance, including balance (BBS score: B = 9.70, p = 0.003) and gait speed (B = 0.23, p = 0.024); and in functional recovery, including BI (B = 19.5, p < 0.001), IADL (B = 1.48, p < 0.001), and mRS (B = −0.13, p = 0.028). These findings highlight the 7-week PAC rehabilitation program as an effective strategy during the critical recovery phase for patients with stroke. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Rehabilitation of Stroke)
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