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Open research questions in Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery

346 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 1,449 Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Developing a wearable assistance that can augment function without disrupting compensatory strategies - Addressing the highly heterogeneous patterns of denervation and partial reinnervation in BPI - Providing proximal support to address shoulder weakness and limited functional reach

    Supporting upper limb movements with a soft robot after a brachial plexus injury · 2026 · DOI

  • Longitudinal studies to assess the long-term effects of the device. Investigation of the device's effectiveness in a larger population. Development of more advanced control systems for the device.

    Supporting upper limb movements with a soft robot after a brachial plexus injury · 2026 · DOI

  • The retrospective nature of the study may introduce biases. The lack of a control group limits the ability to compare outcomes. The small sample size may not be representative of the larger population.

    Improvements in Gait Function Following Integrative Korean–Western Medicine Treatment in Older Adults with Chronic Stroke: A Retrospective Exploratory Study · 2026 · DOI

  • High heterogeneity among studies. Risk of bias due to small pilot and feasibility trials, incomplete allocation concealment, and selective reporting. Limited generalizability due to the restriction to English-language, peer-reviewed full-text reports.

    Telerehabilitation for Motor Recovery in Adults with Neurological Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Across Motor Domains, Delivery Models, and Follow-Up Effects · 2026 · DOI

  • Small sample sizes, - High heterogeneity, - Limited number of studies, - Risk of bias was an important constraint, - Incomplete allocation concealment, - Unavoidable lack of participant and therapist blinding

    Telerehabilitation for Motor Recovery in Adults with Neurological Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Across Motor Domains, Delivery Models, and Follow-Up Effects · 2026 · DOI

  • The relationship between exercise self-efficacy, perceived social support, and sedentary behavior is not clear. Prior studies have not explored the mediating effect of exercise self-efficacy on perceived social support and sedentary behavior.

    Perceived social support on objective measured sedentary behavior of stroke patients: the mediating role of exercise self-efficacy · 2024 · DOI

  • Further studies are needed to confirm the findings of this study. A controlled trial with a larger sample size should be conducted to verify the effectiveness of integrative Korean–Western medicine treatment. Research on the long-term effects of integrative Korean–Western medicine treatment on gait function in older adults with chronic stroke is needed.

    Improvements in Gait Function Following Integrative Korean–Western Medicine Treatment in Older Adults with Chronic Stroke: A Retrospective Exploratory Study · 2026 · DOI

  • OBJECTIVE: Fear of falling is a common and serious psychological challenge after stroke, yet its longitudinal patterns remain poorly understood.

    Longitudinal Trajectories and Determinants of Fear of Falling in Post‐Stroke Patients · 2026 · DOI

  • Background/Objectives: Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is an established determinant of functional outcome after stroke; however, its influence on the longitudinal course of neuropsychiatric recovery remains incompletely understood.

    Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Defined Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Burden and Longitudinal Neuropsychiatric and Functional Recovery After Stroke: A Prospective Cohort Study · 2026 · DOI

  • Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a prevalent yet underrecognized cause of neurological disability and one of the most common reasons for neurology referral, yet access to structured rehabilitation pathways remains limited.

    Team Approach to Functional Neurological Disorder with Traumatic Brain Injury in an Inpatient Rehabilitation Setting · 2026 · DOI

  • High-quality, adequately powered randomized controlled trials with standardized outcome assessment and long-term follow-up are warranted to validate these findings and clarify the long-term clinical effectiveness of these interventions.

    Non-pharmacological interventions for lower limb rehabilitation after stroke: a systematic review and network meta-analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • However, symptom burden may vary across individuals, and its heterogeneity and relationship with supportive care needs remain unclear.

    Heterogeneity in symptom burden and supportive care needs among older adults with ischemic stroke: a cross-sectional study · 2026 · DOI

  • Virtual reality represents a promising therapeutic intervention for this condition; however, the comparative efficacy of virtual reality interventions with different levels of immersion remains unclear.

    Comparative efficacy of virtual reality interventions with varying immersion levels on upper limb motor function, hand dexterity, and independence in the daily life of stroke survivors: a systematic review and network meta-analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • Whether these benefits differ across clinically relevant subgroups remains unclear.

    Robot-assisted gait training yields superior functional gains in non-ambulatory subacute stroke patients · 2026 · DOI

  • The concept of capability may offer a more comprehensive framework for evaluating caregiving; however, it remains insufficiently operationalized and empirically validated in stroke populations.

    Dyadic capability in post-stroke transitional care: a study protocol for instrument development and longitudinal evaluation · 2026 · DOI

  • Although improvement in upper-limb motor function was observed in one participant, further studies with larger samples and controlled designs are warranted to assess the efficacy of MVR training.

    Long-term electromyography-based virtual reality training for chronic upper-limb motor paralysis after stroke: an exploratory single-case experimental design · 2026 · DOI

  • Functional electrical stimulation (FES) has been shown to promote motor recovery by activating affected muscles, but its effectiveness when combined rigorously with usual physiotherapy treatment (UPT) remains underexplored.

    Effects of Functional Electrical Stimulation Combined With Usual Physiotherapy on Hand Pain and Function in Stroke: Protocol for a Double‐Blind Randomized Controlled Trial · 2026 · DOI

  • Their embodiment- the phenomenon by which they come to be perceived as an integral part of oneself - remains underexplored, thus limiting our understanding of OE adoption.

    Embodiment of Occupational Exoskeletons as Developing a Sense of Ownership and Readiness-To-Hand: Laboratory and Field Explorations · 2025 · DOI

  • However, current evidence in the Chinese context is insufficient as cultural norms, expectations, and behaviors may differ across countries.

    Social participation challenges and facilitators among Chinese stroke survivors: a qualitative descriptive study · 2025 · DOI

  • Future research should focus on evaluating impact of training in improvements in service delivery by physiotherapists.

    Evaluating an online stroke training programme for Saudi Arabian physiotherapists for improving their knowledge and confidence in long-term stroke care: a pilot mixed-methods study · 2025 · DOI

  • These findings highlight the need for further investigation into the mechanisms by which stress may contribute to the risk of CIS.

    Association Between Self-Perceived Stress and Cryptogenic Ischemic Stroke in Young Adults · 2025 · DOI

  • BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Psychosocial stress is a potentially modifiable risk factor of early-onset ischemic stroke, with limited evidence suggesting a stronger association between stress and cryptogenic ischemic stroke (CIS) compared with strokes of known etiology.

    Association Between Self-Perceived Stress and Cryptogenic Ischemic Stroke in Young Adults · 2025 · DOI

  • BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Evidence regarding effectiveness of screening for emotional and cognitive problems after stroke is lacking.

    Screening and Care for Emotional and Cognitive Problems After Ischemic Stroke · 2025 · DOI

  • The generalizability may be limited by our single community study population, and results should be replicated in other populations.

    Sex Differences in Outcomes Over the First Year After Ischemic Stroke · 2025 · DOI

  • However, the mediating role of depression between psychological distress and debilitation has not been explored.

    The relationship between psychological distress and frailty in stroke patients: the mediating effect of depression · 2025 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery

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346 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 1,449 Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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