Abdulellah Alkhunfur: Pusher Syndrome or Why Some Stroke Patients Lean Toward the Affected Side
Abdulellah Alkhunfur, Physiotherapist at Dallah Hospital, shared on LinkedIn:
”It’s not stubbornness… it’s a cognitive disorder!
One stroke patient was pushing himself forcefully toward the affected side, and whenever we tried to adjust his sitting position, he resisted fiercely.
He was completely convinced that he was sitting upright… while he was clearly leaning and at risk of falling.
This condition is called post-stroke Pusher Syndrome.
It is a disorder that appears after a stroke, in which the patient loses the ability to perceive the position of their body in relation to gravity, leaning toward the weak side and using the healthy limb to push toward it.
Important note:
- The problem is not just muscle weakness, but also a disorder in proprioception, or spatial sensory perception.
- The good news is that this condition can be treated with physical therapy, especially with intensive rehabilitation.
In rehabilitation, we focus on:
- Retraining visual perception using mirrors and vertical lines.
- Gradual and safe balance exercises.
- Educating the family that the behavior is involuntary.
Awareness of this syndrome reduces the risk of falling and speeds up the recovery process.”

Stay updated with Hemostasis Today.
-
Oct 20, 2026, 05:46Jan T. Kielstein: DNP Poisoning and Hemoadsorption The Limits of Rescue Therapy
-
Oct 20, 2026, 05:33Giulia Di Paolo: Connecting Plasma Donation to the Patients Who Depend on It
-
Oct 20, 2026, 05:20James Knowles: Exploring Plasma Manufacturing and Strengthening Industry Collaboration
-
Oct 20, 2026, 05:11Giuseppe LippiÖ‰ Understanding Liver Test Abnormalities After AAV Gene Therapy
-
Oct 20, 2026, 05:02Sanam Loghavi: Test Your Hematology Knowledge at ASH 2026!
-
Oct 20, 2026, 04:13Ifeanyichukwu Ifechidere: DOACs Are Not the Answer to Every Anticoagulation Question
-
Oct 20, 2026, 04:04Sadia Kamal: Honored to Receive the Outstanding Abstract Award at the 20th Midwest Platelet Conference
-
Oct 20, 2026, 04:03Yu-Hsuan Chen: One Antibody, Two Diseases from FcRn Biology to Clinical Translation
-
Oct 20, 2026, 03:49Domenico Simone Castiello: Rethinking Prolonged DAPT in Multivessel PCI – Insights from the DAPT-MVD Trial