Highs, Lows, and Plateaus: A path to recovery from stroke

About the Book

Stroke survivors, health care professionals working in rehabilitation, and anyone whose life has been affected by stroke, will find critical information in this Second Edition of Highs, Lows, and Plateaus: a path to recovery from stroke.

From the initial injury to the mechanisms of recovery, this book offers guidance on:
• Recognizing the initial signs of a stroke and the importance of emergency treatment
• Understanding the processes associated with rehabilitation and recovery
• Realizing the concepts of neuroplasticity to drive recovery of the brain
• Advancing along the stages of recovery from stroke
• Setting goals and having a structured path through the stages of recovery from stroke.

Dismissing the negative connotations of “plateau”, this book provides hope, inspiration and useful information along the continuum of recovery. Each step along the path is supported by basic science, concepts of neuroplasticity and the stories that encompass the resilience of the human spirit. Written in an easy to understand, conversational tone, complex topics are simplified and made meaningful through storytelling and analogies. This book is a must read for stroke survivors or anyone whose life has been affected by stroke.

About the Author

The author, Anne Burleigh Jacobs PT, PhD, graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Therapy in 1985 and a Doctorate in Neuroscience and Physiology in 1995.
Graduate school allowed her to gain a greater understanding of neurological recovery via research studies conducted at the R.S. Dow Neurological Sciences Institute in Portland, Oregon; the Biomechanics Laboratory in Waterloo, Canada; Queens Square Neurology Hospital in London, England; and Clinica Wintersol in Tenerife, Spain. After obtaining her PhD she moved to The Netherlands.
Dr. Jacobs taught neurology, neuroanatomy and human physiology at the Hogeschool Enschede in The Netherlands. She was a visiting lecturer and assisted in graduate student research at multiple other Physical Therapy programs in The Netherlands, as well as edited and contributed to the 1st edition of the textbook, NeuroScience: Fundamentals for Rehabilitation.
Upon returning to the United States, Dr. Jacobs taught continuing education courses through The Dogwood Institute and became one of the founders of the Peninsula Stroke Association (now Pacific Stroke Association) where she served as the Executive Director for the first three years. She developed all of the programs and has spoken with hundreds of small groups about the warning signs of stroke and the potential of post-stroke rehabilitation.
Pursuing her love of teaching, Dr. Jacobs was a clinical instructor at Pacific University in Oregon, University of California San Francisco, and University of Indiana. She has provided consultation to companies developing robotics, bionics, and orthotics for neurological rehabilitation.
As a licensed Physical Therapist, she has worked in private hospitals, university hospitals, nursing homes, home-care settings, her own private clinic and most recently in a general out-patient rehab department. She continues to apply her knowledge toward neurological recovery in a vast array of patients and act as clinical-instructor for physical therapy students.