What are the Symptoms of a Stroke?
Look for These Stroke Warning Signs
Know the signs and symptoms of a stroke to help get medical attention immediately. During a stroke, blood flow is blocked to the brain and makes every minute without treatment count. A person’s speech, movement, and memory is diminished without an adequate blood supply to the brain.
Take quick action and perhaps save a life by knowing the signs and symptoms of stroke.
Stroke symptoms include:
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg – especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or understanding
- Sudden difficulty seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden difficulty walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache without a known cause
Call 9-1-1 immediately if you or someone else displays any of these symptoms. Note the time when symptoms first occurred.
How to Spot Stroke Symptoms
Help a loved one get the stroke treatment they need by B.E.F.A.S.T. Stroke treatment works best when the stroke is identified and diagnosed within three hours of the initial symptoms. Identifying symptoms too late can affect a stroke patient’s eligibility for some treatments.
Use this simple test if you believe someone is having a stroke, comparing the right and left sides of the body:
B - Balance: The person experiences a sudden loss of balance, headache, or dizziness.
E - Eye: The person experiences blurred or loss of vision in one or both eyes.
F – Face: The smile is not equal, or one side of the face drops.
A - Arms: The person cannot raise both arms equally.
S - Speech/Swallow: There may be sudden slurring of speech or inability to talk. There may be difficulty swallowing like choking or coughing.
T – Time: Time lost is brain lost. Think "brain attack" like heart attack.
Call 9-1-1 immediately if you or someone else displays any of these symptoms. Note the time when symptoms first occurred.
Shepherd Center’s Stroke Care Program Resources
Find out why you should choose Shepherd Center’s stroke care and rehabilitation program. Learn more about how we tailor comprehensive care to meet patient outcomes and goals. Hear more about our patient program and services by listening to testimonials from past patients and family members. Or learn more about stroke treatment and recovery by reading our educational resources.