A stroke survivor who suffered a stroke in November 2024 shares his baseline challenges and records his real-time progress following Perispinal Etanercept (PSE) treatment at the Institute of Neurological Recovery, 1 year after his stroke. The video captures clinical updates as the patient evaluates changes in vocal projection, sensory return in his hand and foot, gait mechanics, and visual field awareness during his post-treatment evaluation.
Patient-Reported Changes Featured in This Video
- Speech Projection & Reduced Slurring: Prior to treatment, the patient experienced facial paralysis, severe slurring, stuttering on initial syllables, and difficulty projecting his voice using his diaphragm. Post-treatment, both the patient and observers noted immediate improvement in vocal tone, clarity, and ease of speech without strain.
- Gait Mechanics & Heel-Toe Contact: Before the procedure, severe spasticity and foot numbness disrupted his balance. Following treatment, the patient reported feeling his heel hit the floor and his toes push off during strides—sensations he had not experienced in a long time—resulting in a visibly improved walking pattern.
- Sensory Restoration & Reduced Numbness: The patient previously noted extensive numbness in his left hand, wrist, toes, chin, and face. Post-treatment, he reported a significant reduction in left-sided numbness and demonstrated acute temperature and tartness perception on his left side.
- Limb Motion & Spasticity Reduction: The patient reported that his lower arm felt lighter and demonstrated raising his arm higher than previously observed, noting that his arm and neck felt looser with less tightness.
- Visual Awareness & Alertness: The patient noted improved alertness and demonstrated expanded peripheral vision on his left side, detecting visual cues in his left neglect field while maintaining forward gaze.
Read Video Transcript
*Transcript generated by YouTube
When was your stroke? Nove- November 20th of 24. 24. What kind of difficulties has it caused for you? A great amount of speech difficulty and concentration/cognitive issues, exaggerated slurring. With the facial paralysis, it’s hard for me. I I have unfortunately been stuttering on the first syllables of certain words. It’s very hard for me to uh it feels like to expel air to get a push out of my di diaphragm and to to project my voice. And you also have had some numbness. Yes, a great amount. Tips of my fingers, uh the side and back of my hand, uh my palm and the outside of my wrist and outside of my my arm. my left hands and my left toes. The spasticity is really bad right now. It’s a I’d have to throw my balance off. So, yes, a great It is very painful.
Does that feel heavy when you do it? Very. It It’s very It’s very uh pronounced. I have a lot of fat fatigue. You know, she she’s aware obviously of my left negative. She tries to stay out of my left side because she I can’t usually see her in that area. I’ I’ve noticed now too uh even ma maintaining eye contact with people just face to face, not just out of my left. Uh I’ve even noticed that I have hard time recognizing some people that unless I see their bodies move, you know,
the lower arm feel it feels lighter. Maybe it’s make maybe it’s improving my strength. I don’t know. But it feels like it’s lighter.
Okay. I I felt my kneel my heel Mhm. hit the floor. Uh and I haven’t felt that for a long time. So the voice already sounds better. Does it Does it sound a little bit less whiny? Mhm. I mean, I don’t know. Yeah, you do. I don’t feel a whole lot of numbness now on this side. I used to feel more numbness in my chin and my left. I I feel like I can feel it pretty well now. Especially going left, you know, it’s it’s looser. It’s just less tight for sure.
I can feel a cold. Yes. Okay. Is it causing any shocks? No, it’s not. Okay.
Maybe I wasn’t feeling tartness that as well as much as I thought I was on my left side because it just feel like it stands out a little bit more. The tartness. I can feel my toes leave the ground after, you know, when I go to take my next step. And now I can feel my heel hitting the ground.
Yeah, you’re walking much better. I already can’t get over the difference in your voice. As of right now, I feel pretty alert. I I feel pretty awake.
But anyway, I was able to see the corner of the the blue on on the mat here. when I when I look like your way, you know, there’s no question it feels looser. I’ve never seen it go that high. It doesn’t just fall. Incredible.
And I I fully expect to continue to improve. Thank you all of you. Daniel, thank you. Thank Thank you guys. Thank this do Dr. Tobinick. It’s just this just wonderful.
