Paralysis and problems with motor control are two of the most common disabilities resulting from a stroke. The paralysis usually affects the side of the body opposite the side of the brain damaged by the stroke, and may involve the face, an arm, a leg, or the entire side of the body. This one-sided paralysis is called hemiplegia; weakness on one side of the body is called hemiparesis.
Stroke patients who suffer from hemiparesis or hemiplegia may have difficulty with everyday activities such as walking or grasping objects. Some stroke patients have problems with swallowing, called dysphagia, due to damage to the part of the brain that controls the muscles for swallowing. Damage to a lower part of the brain, the cerebellum, can affect the body's ability to coordinate movement, a disability called ataxia, leading to problems with body posture, walking, and balance.
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