Recovery is done in three phases.

Recovery from stroke is done in three phases.

ACUTE    SUBACUTE    CHRONIC

1. The acute phase (~day 1 to day 7 [note all time periods are highly variable]). This is usually done in the hospital. In terms of recovery your main responsibility is to keep yourself healthy. Therapists will typically focus on helping you do what you can do. This is a time for convalescence.

2. The subacute phase (~day 7 to 3 months). This is usually done with some help from therapists. You will experience the most recovery during this phase. This is the time that rehabilitation should "put the pedal to the metal." This is where the hard work begins. During the subacute phase the brain is "primed" to recover. Make the most of this phase because it is a window of opportunity to reach the highest level of recovery.Squander it and squander the highest level of potential recovery.

3. The chronic phase (~3 months to the end of life). Typically the survivor has very little contact with rehabilitation professionals during the chronic phase. This is the time to implement a "do-it-yourself" plan for recovery. Recovery comes at fits and starts and is much more difficult than during the subacute phase. Still, important gains can be made during this phase. Up to very recently it was thought that no recovery could be made during the chronic phase. We now know, however, because of the brain's amazing ability to rewire itself, essential progress can be made during the chronic phase.