Impaired sensation
- Sensation is important not only for allowing co-ordinated movement, but also for allowing communication and interaction with our surroundings (Gaubert and Mockett, 2000); it allows us to explore our environment, alerting us to danger, and providing a means of communication with others
- Following a stroke, patients may experience reduced sensation; this will often be noticed on one side of the body although the patient may experience altered patterns of sensation
- Patients may also become hypersensitive
- Complete sensory loss down one side is less common, but can still occur
