Good treatment news for people who have suffered from a stroke: Walking on the treadmill improves brain function and fitness for people who have survived a stroke and gone through a typical rehabilitation program says a recent report. For the study, researchers split stroke patients into two groups: ones who walked and ones who stretched. After six months, those on the treadmill improved their walking ability by 52 percent as opposed to the 11 percent achieved by those who stretched.

“The most important clinical aspect of the study is that it is saying recovery can occur long after a stroke and can occur even after all the routine therapies have been tried,” says Daniel Hanley, MD, professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. “Scientifically, the most important point appears to be that rewiring of the brain may be involved in this process, not just body conditioning.”

Read RH’s “Groove Theory” to learn about other therapies for stroke survivors.