University of East Anglia - Stroke splint

A trial will investigate whether the early use of splints designed to hold weakened feet correctly in position can help stroke survivors to walk again. The cast supports the weakened foot and ankle so that patients can practise walking very soon after a stroke, when the brain has the best chance of recovery through the reorganisation of its network of neural connections. Valerie Pomeroy, principal investigator at the University of East Anglia's Stroke and Rehabilitation Laboratory, is leading the project, which will map each part of the brain three to eight weeks after a stroke to determine the nature of the damage caused.