October 2021

REHABILITATION

AFTER STROKE, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER RECOVERS AT THE HOSPITAL HE SERVES

Mahesh V. Ramachandran, MD, chief medical officer at Northwestern Medicine Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, had an ischemic stroke over Memorial Day weekend.

Dr. Ramachandran was fortunate to not experience cognitive communicative deficits, but he had hemiparesis in his arm and leg. He was eventually transferred to Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital to begin inpatient therapy with the team he leads.

​In addition to traditional therapy, Dr. Ramachandran benefited from the technology at Marianjoy's Tellabs Center for Neurorehabilitation and Neuroplasticity (TCNN). The center is one of few in Illinois to offer the latest neurorehabilitation technology for the treatment of patients with stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions.

Technology at TCNN targets principles of neuroplasticity to promote cortical change and subsequent improved function. The use of the Armeo® Power provided support to successfully achieve high-repetition training for improved upper-extremity motor control, while the ZeroG® Gait and Balance Training System allowed for upgrading intensity of dynamic activities for improved balance.

After two weeks of intensive inpatient therapy, Dr. Ramachandran continued his recovery as an outpatient. By August, he had returned to work part time, and within a month was working full time again. He continues to work on gaining more strength and improving his fine motor skills.

​Despite his years of experience with stroke patients, Dr. Ramachandran notes that he did learn a few new things as a patient.

"I used to tell patients to work hard and keep going. I know that is important for recovery, but after experiencing a stroke myself, I learned how fatiguing recovery can be. I was absolutely exhausted and sometimes found it hard to be energetic during therapy," he explains. "Now, I have more empathy, and I will encourage my patients to keep working but will offer other techniques beyond just pushing through it."​
Mahesh Ramachandran, MD, chief medical officer Northwestern Medicine Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital. 

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