A stroke is caused when the flow of blood to a part of the brain is disrupted. This disruption of the blood supply can rapidly lead to damage to nerve cells as they run out of energy. In some cases, a stroke can be extremely debilitating, even fatal. However, small strokes can only cause damage to small portions of the brain, in which case the after effects of the stroke vary--depending on where the stroke occurred.
Coordination Problems and Paralysis
In some cases, a stroke can cause problems with muscle movement and coordination. This occurs when the stroke occurs in a part of the brain that's responsible for sending out "motor" signals (signals that tell muscles to contract). Typically, all of the affected muscles are on one side of the body and can include the facial muscles. Sometimes the muscles are only weakened, which makes it harder to use the muscles and can lead to problems with balance and walking, because these are activities that involve multiple muscles. With physical therapy, much of the loss of muscle function can be reversed.
Speech Problems
Another after effect of a stroke can be problems with speech. These can include problems in speaking and processing words that other people say. This is because speech is a complex process that involves many parts of the brain. In some cases, the problem may be with simply moving muscles to form words. In other patients, the muscle movements that they use to make verbal sounds will not be affected, but it's more difficult for them to think of words or articulate themselves. These deficits may also extend to problems with reading or writing. Sometimes the brain damage is not permanent; in other cases, other parts of the brain can be trained to take over the function of the damaged portion.
Sensory Problems
If the stroke occurs in a part of the brain that processes sensory information, one after effect can be impairment of those senses. This can include deafness, altered perception of taste or smell, and problems with vision. These vision problems can include difficulty with focusing, partial or total loss of vision, or impaired eye movements. It can be difficult to rehabilitate damage to the sensory parts of the brain, though over time the impairment of the senses may improve.
