Trends in the Rehabilitation Area in the Japanese Guidelines for the Management of Stroke 2021

Abstract

This paper introduces the revised Japanese Guidelines for the Management of Stroke 2021 focusing on the contents related to the rehabilitation area. The purpose of this study is to help health care workers assess and select treatments for stroke patients by understanding new treatments and increasing evidence levels of existing treatments in the Japanese Guidelines for the Management of Stroke 2021. In the 2021 revision, the recommendation of treatment using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation in rehabilitation area treatment has increased compared to the Japanese Guidelines for the Management of Stroke 2015. Studies have been conducted to verify the effectiveness of existing treatments, and some have improved the level of evidence. On the other hand, some contents have been deleted in the 2021 revision. Based on the guidelines and judgment criteria based on the guidelines, it is suggested that flexible responses to individual patients in clinical practice are important.