>Q My father is 72 years old. Three years ago he had a fall and fractured his right hip. He recovered well after the operation and was able to walk normally. Two months ago, he suffered a minor stroke. He has largely recovered, but now he drags his right foot when he walks.
I'd like to know if the foot dragging is due to the stroke and what remedies we can take to help him overcome the problem. Otherwise what are the long-term effects?
A With the provided history, it appears that your father's difficulty in walking is due to the stroke. A stroke is a type of brain injury and the symptoms depend on the part of the brain that is affected.
After a stroke episode, a person can have weakness on one side of the body or trouble moving, talking or thinking. Most strokes are ischemic, which means that they are caused by reduced blood flow to a part of the brain due to a block in an artery by a blood clot. The brain cells in that area die from lack of oxygen. The other type of stroke is haemorrhagic and occurs due to a 'burst' in an artery.
Your father has an increased risk of stroke recurrence, at least during the next one year. I advise him to consult a stroke neurologist for assessment of various risk factors (like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, high blood cholesterol etc) as well as for optimisation of the treatment plan. Your father may also need an antiplatelet often referred to as a 'blood thinner'.
Recovery after stroke may take some time and the rate of recovery varies among patients. It is usually greatest in the first few months but gradually plateaus. However, small gains may still be seen in some patients during the next one to two years. Rehabilitation should be started soon after the stroke to regain as much independence as possible.
Based on your description, your father seems to have recovered significantly except for the dragging of his right foot. Although it has been two months since he had the stroke, he can still improve his walking by participating in a rehabilitation programme and physiotherapy.
Dr Vijay Sharma, a consultant neurologist at National University Hospital.
This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times on November 20, 2008.
