Interdisciplinary approaches to post-stroke recovery, optimizing patient function and autonomy: A literature review

Abstract

Introduction: Post-stroke rehabilitation is essential for restoring motor function, balance, mobility, and patient autonomy. Functional deficits resulting from neurological damage can compromise independence in activities of daily living, making it crucial to implement interdisciplinary approaches that integrate physiotherapy, medical management, and educational strategies. Objective: This literature review aimed to evaluate the impact of interdisciplinary rehabilitation, with an emphasis on physiotherapy, on functional recovery and autonomy in patients after stroke, considering muscle strength, balance, mobility, and quality of life. Methods: This is a descriptive and analytical literature review based on national and international publications available in the Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS), which gathers scientific and technical health literature from Latin American and Caribbean countries; Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS), which covers regional health research; United States National Library of Medicine (PubMed), an international reference database for biomedical sciences; and Scopus, a multidisciplinary scientific literature database. Articles published between 2019 and 2025 were included, totaling 10 studies, selected based on relevance to post-stroke rehabilitation, physiotherapy protocols, and functional outcomes. Results: The literature demonstrated that interdisciplinary rehabilitation programs with structured physiotherapy promote significant improvements in muscle strength, balance, mobility, and functional autonomy. Protocols combining gait training, resistance exercises, early mobilization, tailored functional activities, and individualized monitoring reduced residual motor deficits, accelerated recovery, and enhanced patient independence. Factors such as therapeutic adherence, family support, and integration between physiotherapy and medical care directly influenced program effectiveness. Evidence reinforces that functional recovery post-stroke is multifactorial, depending on the interaction between intrinsic factors (motor deficits, postural imbalances, neurological alterations) and extrinsic factors (program adherence, comorbidities, social support). Structured physiotherapy, combined with medical monitoring and patient education, emerged as a central component to individualize treatment, optimize function, reduce complications, and improve quality of life. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that interdisciplinary rehabilitation, with emphasis on structured physiotherapy, is essential for functional recovery and autonomy in post-stroke patients. Individualized programs integrating medical management, therapeutic exercises, and continuous monitoring yield significant gains in strength, balance, mobility, and quality of life, highlighting the importance of multifactorial and interdisciplinary approaches to optimize recovery and minimize complications.