Introduction: Patients who have suffered from stroke become disabled and have specific problems due to the physical and mental disability that requires the implementation of rehabilitation and the creation of conditions for independent living, economic and social reintegration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional recovery of patients after ischemic stroke, during the subacute phase of medical rehabilitation.
Material and methods: The study was organized as a prospective study, which included 74 patients (44 men, 30 women) treated after stroke at the Department of Medical Rehabilitation, Clinical Center of Vojvodina during 2013. Motor recovery was assessed by Signe-Brunnstrom scale, and Barthel Index, Rivermead Mobility Index, and modified Rankin scale were applied to assess the function.
Results: The average age of patients after stroke was 66.59 ± 9.607 years. The mean hospital stay was 34.35 days. The majority of patients in this study had right-hand hemiparesis 47 (63.5%), and 27 (36.5%) had left-hand hemiparesis. By analyzing the average valueof motor recovery of the affected limb by S.Brunnstrom's scale during rehabilitation at the Department of Medical Rehabilitation, it was found that the value at the end of subacute rehabilitation phase was significantly increased (p<0.01). The results of this testing showed a statistically significant improvement (p<0.0l) in the average values of Barthel Index, Rivermead Mobility Index and modified Rankin scale during the rehabilitation treatment of stroke patients.
Conclusion: The obtained results showed that the rehabilitation treatment resulted in better functional and motor recovery in the patients who had had ischemic stroke.