Six-month outcomes and patterns of recovery for people with lateropulsion following stroke.

Individuals with lateropulsion can recover from lateropulsion and make meaningful functional gains, including some individuals with more severe lateropulsion. Lateropulsion severity is a key indicator of functional outcome post-stroke.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONIndividuals with lateropulsion can make significant gains in terms of mobility and functional abilities by six months post-stroke, learning to compensate for their verticality impairment in standing by loading their non-paretic leg.It is important that stroke survivors with lateropulsion, including those with moderate and severe lateropulsion, are provided with adequate rehabilitation to optimise their longer-term mobility and functional abilities.Routine screening of acute stroke survivors for lateropulsion is recommended, given lateropulsion may negatively impact longer-term functional outcomes in stroke survivors.Therapists should carefully analyse the weight-bearing pattern which an individual with lateropulsion adopts in standing and subsequently tailor treatment to target this.