Experts call for integration of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation into standard stroke care
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
(PMR) Day, neurologists and rehabilitation experts in the national capital called for urgent integration of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation into India's stroke care protocols.
With stroke now the second leading cause of death and the third leading cause of disability in the country, doctors stressed that rehabilitation within the first 90 days is essential - not just for survival but for full functional recovery.
"Stroke is a race against time, not just during the attack, but long after hospital discharge," said Dr Man Mohan Mehndiratta, Principal-Director and Senior Consultant, Neurology, BLK-Max Centre for Neurosciences.
"While emergency response has improved through ACT FAST awareness, post-stroke recovery remains poorly structured. Without targeted rehabilitation, patients may survive but lose their independence, speech, or memory," Dr Mehndiratta said.
Stroke is increasingly affecting younger people in urban centres like Delhi, fueled by rising rates of hypertension, chronic stress and sedentary lifestyles.
According to the India Hypertension Control Initiative (ICMR-WHO, 2023), one in four Indian adults is hypertensive, yet only 12 per cent have it under control.
Experts are now calling for broader adoption of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR), a multidisciplinary medical speciality that supports recovery after stroke, spinal cord injuries and head trauma.
PMR combines robotic-assisted therapy, speech and occupational therapy, cognitive retraining and psychological support, all under a structured, evidence-based roadmap led by rehabilitation physicians.
"Rehabilitation is not just exercise. It's a guided, clinical process," said Dr Amit Tomar, Lead Consultant - PMR, HCAH (HealthCare atHOME) said.
"The brain's plasticity is highest in the first three months post-stroke.
"Every day of delay narrows the window for recovery," he said.
In a recent HCAH survey, only 40 per cent of respondents could identify stroke symptoms before hospitalisation. Yet among patients who received
structured inpatient rehabilitation
, 92 per cent regained core functional abilities within three months. In contrast, 70 per cent of those on unstructured home care took over four months to regain basic functions like speech and mobility.
"These numbers reinforce the importance of timely, specialist-led rehab," said Dr Gaurav Thukral, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, HCAH.
As stroke cases rise, experts called on national and state health authorities to take bold action to embed PMR into every stroke treatment protocol, expand insurance coverage for inpatient rehab, train more PMR specialists and rehab teams and establish dedicated
neuro-rehabilitation centres
in both public and private healthcare systems.
"Survival should not be the end goal. Recovery with dignity must become the new standard," said Dr Mehndiratta. PTI
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