Brain health & rehabilitation
Rehabilitation after stroke or brain injury
After the initial treatment and rehabilitation, the next question is often practical: what can help with movement, speech, concentration or daily tasks now? We start with your current abilities and existing rehabilitation plan.
Start with the question that matters to you
Rehabilitation is a process of practising meaningful tasks and finding workable strategies for lasting difficulties. Two people with a similar scan may need very different support. The team needs to understand what you can do safely today, where you need help, and which change would matter most at home.
A manageable path through assessment
Set a baseline
Describe a daily task and record the current level of assistance.
Practise with a plan
Coordinate rehabilitation and any proposed additional method.
Compare and adapt
Review function and tolerability using the same measures.
The plan is individual. These stages describe the decision process, not a promised treatment result.
What the assessment needs to establish
- The acute hospital and rehabilitation discharge reports, scan reports and the current medication list.
- Movement, balance, communication, cognition, sleep and mood, according to the difficulties you describe.
- Previous rehabilitation, the exercises or strategies that help, and current therapist recommendations.
- Mobility, assistance, fatigue and communication needs that affect attending appointments.
How a care plan may be built
A plan should build on the rehabilitation already in place. Physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy address different goals and may need coordination with providers near home. The Douwes Brain Center assesses whether methods such as rTMS or tDCS could be an additional part of the plan. The proposed treatment must be connected to a specific functional goal and reviewed alongside practice, not treated as a stand-alone replacement for rehabilitation.
Evidence and limits
NICE recommends coordinated assessment and rehabilitation after stroke. NIH guidance for traumatic brain injury likewise describes multidisciplinary rehabilitation tailored to cognitive, physical and everyday needs. These foundations have a different evidence base from additional brain stimulation. Findings from studies of a specific stroke population or stimulation protocol cannot be assumed to apply to every injury, stage of recovery or device.
Prepare for a useful conversation
A useful goal might be using the affected hand in one everyday task, communicating a need more easily, or managing a short activity with less assistance. The team should agree how that goal will be measured before starting. Stroke-prevention medication, antiseizure treatment and other prescribed care remain coordinated with your existing specialists.
The length and cost of assessment depend on your needs. A diagnosis alone does not determine a package. Before making travel arrangements, the team should confirm what is proposed, where it takes place and the planned review point.
Questions before an assessment
Can assessment still be useful after a rehabilitation course has ended?
It can help clarify current goals, remaining barriers and suitable support. That does not guarantee further recovery. Bring the rehabilitation discharge report so the team can build on what has already been assessed.
Does brain stimulation replace rehabilitation exercises?
No. Any additional stimulation should be considered alongside goal-directed rehabilitation and existing specialist care. The reason for adding it and the planned outcome measure should be clear.
What if travel is difficult because I need assistance?
Describe mobility, transfers, communication, fatigue and care needs in the first inquiry. The team must confirm the practical fit of appointments and accommodation before travel is arranged.
How your care is coordinated
St. George Hospital and the Douwes Brain Center, our outpatient neuromodulation department in Bad Aibling, coordinate the appropriate setting. Your existing specialists remain part of the plan. An inquiry does not commit you to a treatment course or promise an appointment with a particular physician.
Outpatient option
More about outpatient assessment
The Douwes Brain Center is our outpatient neuromodulation department in Bad Aibling. Its condition guides explain the assessment and individual options in more detail.
Send a free inquiry
The initial inquiry is free of charge. The International Office reviews your message and your case directly and gets back to you.
- Phone
- +49 8061 398-0
- Hours
- Mon–Thu 08:00–17:00, Fri 08:00–14:00 German time (CET/CEST); in the US Mon–Thu 2–11 a.m. ET, Fri 2–8 a.m. ET.
Munich Airport (MUC), about 60 minutes by car.