Stroke patients warned not to ignore late-onset muscle pain - a devastating symptoms that can happen years after the first attack

Stroke survivors are struggling pinch debilitating musculus problems, symptom and depression, unaware that these symptoms tin onslaught months aliases moreover years aft nan first attack, doctors person warned.

After being discharged from hospital, changeable patients are typically fixed a three-month package of attraction that includes infirmary visits and physiotherapy, but are often ‘left to fend for themselves’ erstwhile this ends, opportunity diligent advocates.

This intends late-onset symptoms – which see nan muscle-stiffness information called spasticity – are being missed. If not promptly tackled limbs tin go permanently deformed, meaning nan only action whitethorn beryllium surgery.

One successful 4 patients are forced to springiness up activity arsenic a consequence of these complications and a 3rd declare their mundane life is affected by symptom and involuntary limb spasms, according to study by supplier patient Ipsen – shared exclusively pinch The Mail connected Sunday to people World Stroke Day today.

The canvass recovered that 1 successful 3 patients had not been told astir imaginable late-onset problems, which besides see fatigue, cognitive impairment, slump and incontinence.

More than 100,000 Britons suffer a changeable each year, usually owed to a clot forming a blockage successful nan humor vessels supplying nan brain.

If not treated wrong a matter of hours, terrible encephalon harm tin hap that whitethorn beryllium fatal aliases lead to profound disability.

The Government launched nan Act FAST thrust successful 2009 to promote nan nationalist to telephone 999 if they announcement nan symptoms of a stroke. The acronym stands for Face, Arms, Speech and Time: facial drooping aliases paralysis; a abrupt inability to raise some arms; slurred speech; and that each of these things should beryllium considered a aesculapian emergency.

In nan first twelvemonth unsocial it led to an further 38,000 changeable patients getting to infirmary wrong a captious three-hour window.

And acknowledgment to advances successful supplier and surgical treatment, changeable deaths person halved successful nan past 2 decades.

There are now 1.3 cardinal changeable survivors successful nan UK, and much now needs to beryllium done to thief them according to Dr Ganesh Bavikatte, a encephalon master astatine The Walton Centre successful Liverpool.

‘Half of each patients who suffer musculus stiffness and spasticity pursuing a changeable create it aft 3 months aliases longer, but don’t realise nan 2 are related,’ he said. ‘If this isn’t treated promptly, nan only action is surgery, and we want to scope group earlier that happens.’

Clinical guidelines impulse 8 to 12 weeks of physiotherapy for group discharged from infirmary aft a stroke.

And nan National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends patients are assessed to place immoderate ongoing needs and person bespoke support ‘for arsenic agelong arsenic it continues to thief them execute their curen goals’.

But Donna King, a unpaid pinch nan Stroke Association – and a changeable subsister herself – said: ‘I had curen for musculus stiffness erstwhile I started to get it later on, but different group I’ve spoken to person fundamentally been near to fend for themselves without immoderate support.’

Early on, spacticity is tackled pinch injections of muscle-relaxing botulinum toxin, stretching and physiotherapy.

In summation to spasticity, up to half of changeable survivors study fatigue aft six months, and 1 successful 10 suffer cognitive impairment – difficulties pinch memory, reasoning and concentrating – successful nan first fewer months, but this fig jumps to 30 per cent aft a year.

One successful 10 besides struggle pinch semipermanent affectional instability, while slump affects a third. Severe wounded owed to falls hap successful 3 quarters of patients wrong a twelvemonth of discharge.

‘We cognize that group are not seeking thief for galore of these things,’ says Dr Bavikatte. ‘And they are not recognised by arsenic precocious symptoms of changeable by nan diligent aliases their carers, and moreover immoderate doctors.’

It’s A connection that resonates pinch Wendy Lamin, who suffered a changeable 10 years agone while connected vacation successful Belgium. The joined mother-of-two from Edinburgh says: ‘The first attraction was awesome and I came location pinch a database of treatments arsenic recommended by nan Belgian neurologist, but I was offered almost nothing.

‘I was told by my section neurology squad nan harm was done and that was it, basically.’

After a year, Wendy developed tinnitus and later fatigue truthful terrible she was forced to springiness up her demanding occupation successful financial consultancy. She besides suffered pinch stiff shoulders.

Despite being known post-stroke complications, she adds: ‘I said to doctors but nary 1 told maine my symptoms were related to nan stroke. I ended up paying for physiotherapy for my shoulders.

‘I felt for illustration I had to look aft my ain recovery, which is astonishing. My life stopped aft I had a stroke, and I’m still affected by fatigue. I was fortunate I wasn’t paralysed, for illustration immoderate group are, but I person short-term representation issues which get worse erstwhile I’m tired aliases stressed.

‘The astir important point for maine was discovering nan Stroke Association, who told maine astir Facebook support groups. It’s nan group I met location that really helped maine through. More needs to beryllium done to thief changeable survivors.’

• For accusation and proposal sojourn stroke.org.uk.