Clinical Assessments for Predicting Functional Recovery after Stroke

Abstract

Despite on-going technological developments, clinical assessment remains an essential tool to evaluate the effects of rehabilitation treatment and to predict functional recovery. This paper provides a review of clinical assessment for stroke patients focusing on predictive value of motor, function and participation assessment, taking into consideration some specific evaluations for upper and lower limb function, trunk control, balance and walking. In the future an increased integration between clinical assessment, neurophysiology and neuroimaging will be required, in order to apply specific evaluation pathways to reach a more accurate and customized prognostic stratification.