The Influence of Age, Lesion Side and Location on Rehabilitation Outcome After Stroke

[Purpose] This study examined whether age, lesion side or location are strong predictive factors of the functional recovery of stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] Fifty-six stroke inpatients were recruited within 3 months after onset. All participants enrolled were treated with physical and occupational therapy consisting of two 30 minute sessions per day. [Results] After physical and occupational therapy for 2 months, the stroke participants showed functional improvement on the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), Berge Balance scale (BBS) and Functional Ambulatory Categories (FAC) scores without any relation to age, lesion side or location. On the Berg balance scale, cortical lesion patients showed greater improvement in those older than 65 years (p<0.05). [Conclusion] Physical and occupational therapy is effective for the functional recovery of stroke patients without any relation to age, lesion side or location.