At a glance
What it is
Loss of blood supply to part of the brain — from a blocked artery (ischaemic) or a burst vessel (haemorrhagic).
Emergency signs
Face droop, arm weakness, speech difficulty — call an ambulance immediately. Time is brain.
What the clinic does
Post-stroke rehabilitation, spasticity management, secondary prevention, and long-term follow-up — not the acute admission.
What stroke is
A stroke happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted or reduced, so brain cells stop receiving oxygen. Cells die by the minute — every minute of delayed treatment loses roughly 1.9 million neurons.
There are two main types. The great majority are ischaemic (an artery blocked by a clot). A smaller share are haemorrhagic (a vessel bursts and blood enters the brain tissue). The symptoms often look the same at the start, but the treatment paths in the first hours are opposite — which is why a scan is done immediately in hospital before any drug is given.
The most valuable minute in the whole illness is the one before the ambulance arrives. Every clinic visit after that is downstream — worth doing well, but downstream.
Two types of stroke
The two look similar clinically but are managed very differently in the acute phase — a scan in the emergency department decides which is which.
Type A
Ischaemic stroke
- ~85% of strokes; artery blocked by clot or embolus.
- Treatment: thrombolysis and/or thrombectomy within the therapeutic window.
- Long-term: antiplatelet therapy, blood-pressure control, cholesterol management.
Type B
Haemorrhagic stroke
- ~15% of strokes; a vessel bursts, blood floods brain tissue.
- Treatment: blood-pressure reduction; neurosurgical evacuation in selected cases.
- Long-term: strict BP control, avoid anticoagulants, address any underlying vascular malformation.
What we see in clinic
1 in 4
Adults over 25 will have a stroke in their lifetime, globally
1.9M
Neurons lost per minute of untreated ischaemic stroke
80%
Recover meaningful function with prompt treatment + structured rehabilitation
Key facts
How we treat stroke recovery
The clinic sees stroke patients after the acute admission — for rehabilitation, spasticity management, and secondary prevention. Every plan combines interventions from the four groups below, weighted to the patient's residual deficit.
Rehabilitation
Restoring function
- Structured physiotherapy programme
- Occupational therapy for daily living
- Speech and language therapy where indicated
- Gait retraining
Spasticity management
Managing tone and contracture
- Botulinum toxin for focal spasticity
- Oral antispasmodics
- Serial casting where contracture is developing
- Selective dorsal rhizotomy in refractory cases
Neuromodulation
Assisting recovery of function
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for motor recovery
- Peripheral nerve stimulation
- Constraint-induced movement therapy
Secondary prevention
Preventing the next event
- Blood-pressure optimisation
- Antiplatelet or anticoagulation as indicated
- Lipid control, glycaemic control
- Lifestyle: smoking cessation, exercise, weight management
The acute event is managed at the emergency department. Anyone who suspects a stroke should call for an ambulance immediately, not book a clinic appointment.
Watch the procedure
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Book a consultation
The secretary schedules first appointments during clinic hours; please have prior imaging, operative notes and a current medication list available at the time of the call.
This page provides general information about stroke and is not a substitute for individual medical assessment. If your symptoms are severe or worsening, contact a clinician promptly.