Right-Side vs. Left-Side Stroke: How Recovery Differs for Speech & Movement

2025-08-20 / by Avivit Ben-Aharon • 4 min read

Every year, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke. It can be very scary for the person affected as well as their friends and family. Everything can change in an instant. While many people are aware of the physical side effects, such as weakness or paralysis on one side of the body, the side of the brain where the stroke occurs plays a major role in determining what specific challenges a person may face. For example, speech and movement recovery can look very different depending on whether the stroke occurred in the left or right hemisphere of the brain.

At Great Speech, we are committed to helping stroke survivors regain their communication and independence. Understanding the difference between right stroke vs left stroke recovery is key.

The Brain Basics

The brain is divided into two hemispheres - left and right. Each hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body. For example, a stroke in the left hemisphere will typically cause weakness or paralysis on the right side of the body, and vice versa.

The left hemisphere of the brain is dominant for language and speech. It controls the ability to form coherent sentences as well as understand what others are saying. It helps with problem-solving, analyzing, and strategizing.

The right hemisphere of the brain is responsible for things such as emotions and imagination. It also helps with spatial orientation, which includes a sense of direction and recognizing when items are close to you versus farther away.

Left Hemisphere Stroke: Speech and Language Challenges

A stroke that occurs in the left hemisphere of the brain often leads to speech and language challenges known as aphasia. The type of aphasia and the challenges that it presents depend on the area of the brain that is affected. Some of the main types of aphasia include:

Broca’s Aphasia (Non-fluent Aphasia)

Slow, slurred, broken speech that takes more effort than usual.
Struggles with forming sentences.

Wernicke’s Aphasia (Fluent Aphasia)

Poor comprehension.
Speaks in long, garbled sentences that often do not make sense.
Unaware of the errors in their speech.

Global Aphasia

Difficulty with both speaking and understanding language.

A left hemisphere stroke can also cause apraxia of speech. This may include symptoms such as difficulty with planning and directing the movements of the muscles required for speech production. Speech may be slow and hard to understand.

Speech problems stemming from a left hemisphere stroke can deeply affect an individual’s ability to express emotions and communicate their needs. This can lead to frustration, anxiety and isolation.

Right Hemisphere Stroke: Speech and Language Challenges

Speech and language challenges that accompany a right hemisphere stroke are often more subtle and misunderstood than those of a left hemisphere stroke. People with right hemisphere damage may not have traditional aphasia, but they may struggle with the following:

Pragmatic Language Problems

Difficulty with staying on topic.
Struggles with turn-taking.
Not understanding jokes, sarcasm, and tone of voice.

Monotone or Flat Speech

Difficulty with conveying or interpreting emotional tone in speech.

While right hemisphere stroke speech symptoms can be subtle, they do create challenges, especially in social communication and understanding the perspectives of others. The challenges can affect the individual’s relationships.

Right Stroke vs Left Stroke Recovery

When considering right stroke vs left stroke recovery, it’s important to understand that a left hemisphere stroke affects the right side of the body while a right hemisphere stroke affects the left side of the body.

Left hemisphere strokes often come with speech and language issues, which can complicate participation in physical therapy. Right hemisphere strokes may result in unawareness of the left side of the body or environment, as well as a lack of insight into their own deficits or limitations, known as anosognosia. Because of this, their safety and overall independence can be compromised, making physical therapy tricky.

Both types of strokes require a collaborative effort by many specialists for recovery. Recovery will include speech-language pathologists (SLPs) for the speech and language challenges, as well as a combination of occupational therapists and physical therapists to address the movement and motor difficulties. With these specialists, a full recovery may be possible. The severity of the stroke will determine the recovery timeline and possibility. Early intervention is also important. The earlier that a patient starts these therapies, the better their chance of a full recovery.

How Long Does Recovery Take?

While some patients will see noticeable improvements within a few weeks, others may need months or even years of ongoing treatment and support. Factors that influence recovery time include:

Location of the stroke
Severity of the stroke
Age and overall health
How quickly treatment started after the stroke
Treatment intensity and consistency
Family and social support

Speech Therapy After a Stroke

Recovery from a stroke is never a one-size-fits-all approach. At Great Speech, our online speech therapy treatment plan is individually customized. The treatment plan will be based on the type of severity or impairment, as well as the individual’s personal goals.

Speech therapy for left-side stroke might include:

Rebuilding speech motor skills for apraxia
Restoring lost language skills for reading, writing, and speaking
Education on AAC tools (augmentative and alternative communication tools) when necessary

Speech therapy for right-side stroke might include:

Addressing pragmatic communication difficulties (turn-taking, eye contact, and tone of voice)
Exercises to improve attention, memory, and reasoning

Our following blog posts provide more examples of speech therapy exercises and goals post-stroke.

Online speech therapy has become a beneficial option for speech difficulties due to a stroke. It provides access to high-quality services without the need for travel - keeping recovery on track, even when life gets busy or mobility is a challenge. Book an appointment today!