My son is still struggling with hemiparesis on his left foot and toes and has foot drop. Has anyone experienced hemiparesis after stroke/AVM rupture and had a foot impacted? If so, what was your recovery like - did it recover back to 100%? Any tips?
Also for a quick background, my son (who was 10 at the time) had an AVM rupture on 1/16/25 and experienced left hemiparesis along his entire left side. With inpatient PT and OT for several weeks he got most of his function back but with weakness in the left hand and left leg foot, mostly with the foot/ankle/toes and drop foot. He also had a successful craniotomy to remove AVM on 3/28.
He is wearing a brace but his gait is still not normal and is using his hip a lot to lift his leg and is newly getting side cramps when he walks. But he hasn’t had to use the walker or wheelchair for some time now. He does outpatient PT 2x week and OT 1x week. School will also be doing PT 30 mins a week to work on getting around school safely and being able to navigate bus steps safely. School will also be doing OT 30 mins a week to work on typing and writing since the left hand weakness has affected his handwriting and typing speed.
I know we are very lucky that we did not have further deficits from the rupture or surgery. in the grand scheme of things his deficits could have been so much worse and I am so so thankful for that, however his current issues with his left leg/foot really impacts him and really limits what he can do. I’d really love for him to be able to run again. He was a really sporty/active kid prior to this and it breaks my heart that he can’t just run around like a carefree kid and participate in sports which he very much enjoyed.
Maybe I’m pushing too hard to get back to normal instead of just accepting things as they are. If you are a person who has deficits from stroke or AVM, what would be the best way a parent could support you during this time? I don’t want to push too hard or put too much pressure but I also know this time period is important for recovery.