Why Early and Expert Stroke Care Is So Important

Every 40 seconds in the United States, someone has a stroke — all told, nearly 800,000 Americans have a stroke each year.

While strokes can claim lives, many people survive strokes, often with life-altering complications that are best addressed as early as possible for improved outcomes. 

At Gill Neuroscience, board-certified neurologist Dr. Paul Gill specializes in strokes. He’s the stroke medical director and Neurosciences Department chair at HCA Houston Healthcare North Cypress Medical Center. So you’ve come to the right place to learn more about strokes, especially the importance of early and expert care.

Strokes are really more neurological than cardiovascular 

Strokes and heart attacks often get grouped together, but they are very different forms of heart disease. In fact, a stroke is far more of a neurological issue than anything else.

When you have a stroke, blood flow (and oxygen) to your brain is blocked, which can cause brain cells to quickly die off. The severity of complications afterward depends on the extent of the stroke and how long your brain was deprived of oxygen. 

As well, the aftermath of a stroke depends on which areas of your brain were deprived of oxygen.

The bottom line is that a blood flow issue may have been the precipitator of the stroke, but it’s your brain that pays the price, making it more of a traumatic brain issue than anything else. So it’s important to have a good neurology team in your corner to help you navigate the side effects.

Working with neuroplasticity

There’s an incredibly wide range of complications that can come with stroke, and most of them are neurological. From balance issues to learning to speak again, a stroke can cast a wide net over brain function.

No matter the extent of the brain damage after your stroke, we must act quickly while your brain has optimal neuroplasticity. 

To explain neuroplasticity, we like this definition: “... the ability of the nervous system to change its activity in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli by reorganizing its structure, functions, or connections after injuries.”

In plainer English, neuroplasticity means your brain is actively trying to reform brain connections (synapses) and repair brain tissues. And this typically starts immediately after the stroke, which means we need to jump in to take advantage of neuroplasticity and guide it in the right direction.

For example, many of our patients experience visual neglect after a stroke, a condition in which you don’t see things on one side. We can improve this visual neglect through mirroring therapies. Or we can work on improving balance if you’re feeling unsteady on your feet after a stroke, as many do.

Our point here is that early intervention in the form of targeted exercises and therapies during this crucial time of neuroplasticity is incredibly valuable and can change your outcome for the better. 

After about 3-6 months, neuroplasticity typically fades, and the progress you make begins to slow as your brain enters a new normal.

If you or a loved one needs compassionate and expert stroke care, you’ve come to the right place. To get on the road to better brain health after a stroke, we invite you to call our office in Houston, Texas, at 832-912-7777. You can also use our online form to request an appointment.