Understanding Abnormal Synergy Patterns After Stroke: The Missing Puzzle Piece in Recovery

Stroke recovery is rarely straightforward.
You might work on strength, balance, and mobility—yet your movements still feel awkward, stiff, or “robotic.”

Why?
One of the most overlooked reasons is something called abnormal synergy patterns.

This is a critical concept every stroke survivor (and caregiver) should understand.

What Are Synergy Patterns?

In simple terms: synergy patterns are how groups of muscles work together to perform a movement.
In healthy movement, your brain coordinates muscles to fire in perfect timing and balance. Think of this as a “short cut code”.

Example:
When you reach out to grab a glass, your shoulder, elbow, wrist, and fingers all work together smoothly. That’s a normal synergy.

What Happens After a Stroke? (Abnormal Synergies)

A stroke damages the brain’s ability to control isolated movements.
Some believe this happens because of a “default code” that is hardwired from birth.

To understand this, think of how an infant moves in the early stages of development.
Babies don’t have refined, isolated control. They move in large, mass patterns:

• They flex all their limbs upward at once
• Or they extend all their limbs at the same time

These primitive movement patterns help an infant roll, scoot, and explore their world.
As the brain matures, these patterns are “integrated” (suppressed) and replaced by more controlled, purposeful movement.
That’s when a baby starts crawling, standing, and eventually walking.

Now fast forward to an adult who has suffered a stroke.
Some believe these primitive patterns re-emerge as part of the recovery process.
The damaged brain temporarily loses its ability to suppress these default patterns.

Instead of smooth, separate muscle control (that we take for granted as adults), the body falls back into primitive, mass movement patterns.
This is called abnormal synergy.

Muscles that shouldn’t be working together start firing at the same time.
The result? Movements become stiff, jerky, and inefficient.

Why Muscle Synergies HELP restore movement after a stroke

Some believe the primitive movement patterns described above are an important part of restoring movement after a stroke. Just like infants use these patterns to initially move and explore their environment, there might be a similar “value” to these “default” patterns after a stroke. The Brunnstrom stages of motor recovery is one such theory that highlights this. 

That said, if someone is using synergy patterns in the early stages of recovery this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The problem occurs when someone allows these patterns to “dominate”. All the time. In this case, the unfortunate result is muscles that are stiff, contracted, and resist lengthening that can hinder relearning coordinated, isolated joint movement. 

The 2 Most Common Patterns

Flexor Synergy (usually in the arm)

• Shoulder pulls inward and upward
• Elbow stays bent
• Wrist and fingers curl into the palm

Extensor Synergy (usually in the leg)

• Hip pulls backward and rotates outward
• Knee locks straight
• Ankle points down and inward

Sound familiar?
If your arm feels “stuck” at your side or your leg swings out wide when you walk, you’re feeling the effects of abnormal synergies.

How Abnormal Synergies Impact Recovery

These patterns block progress by:

• Limiting normal joint movement
• Making functional tasks harder (lifting, reaching, stepping)
• Increasing fatigue because movement takes more energy

They can also contribute to other problems you may recognize:

• The “floppy leg” walking pattern → read more here
• Shoulder spasticity limiting arm movement → learn more here

Can You Improve Abnormal Synergy?

Yes. It takes time and very targeted work.
The key is breaking down mass patterns into smaller, isolated movements.

Strategies that help:

• Stretch what’s stiff to reduce resistance

• Strengthen what’s weak to improve control
• Train isolated joint movement to rebuild brain-body communication

In our membership program you will learn several more exercises specific to your goals to help guide you through these exact strategies (with an entire vault of exercises)

Small consistent steps really do lead to big progress.

Final Thought

Abnormal synergy patterns can feel frustrating, but they don’t have to be permanent.
They are a natural response of the nervous system trying to adapt.
Now you know what’s happening and why.

The more you understand the “why,” the more empowered you are to take back control.
Keep going. You’re on the right path.

Try It for Yourself

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