Early Comprehensive Physiotherapy for Functional Recovery Following Acute Non-Hemorrhagic Stroke: A Case Report

Abstrak

Background: Hemiparesis after stroke can impair mobility, balance, and independence. Detailed reports of integrated physiotherapy management during early inpatient rehabilitation remain limited.
Objective: To describe comprehensive physiotherapy management and short-term clinical outcomes in a patient with right hemiparesis following acute non-hemorrhagic stroke.
Methods: This case report involved a 47-year-old man admitted one day after stroke onset. He received two approximately 45-minute physiotherapy sessions comprising infrared radiation, manual therapy, sensory re-education, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, range-of-motion and strengthening exercises, balance and transfer activities, breathing exercises, and functional task practice. Outcomes were assessed using pain, muscle strength, balance, functional independence, stroke severity, anxiety, coordination, and neurological examinations.
Results: Sensory function partially improved. Pain on pressure decreased from 7 to 4 and pain on movement from 5 to 3. Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale scores decreased from 30 to 26, while Barthel Index scores increased from 20 to 50. Muscle strength, balance, coordination, neurological severity, and pathological reflexes remained unchanged.
Conclusion: Two sessions of comprehensive physiotherapy were associated with short-term improvements in sensory function, pain, anxiety, and functional independence. Causal effectiveness cannot be established from a single case.