On the importance of effort perception in stroke care: From evidence to an ideal care pathway – An opinion paper
Abstract
Post-stroke rehabilitation has traditionally relied on objective assessments of motor and cognitive abilities. However, one crucial factor remains underestimated in current practice: the perception of effort, that is, the conscious experience of task intensity and difficulty. Effort perception is strongly influenced by internal states such as fatigue and pain, two symptoms frequently reported after stroke, even without major neurological deficits. While these symptoms are often treated separately, they converge into a shared experience: heightened perceived effort. Recent literature suggests that both physical and mental fatigue, along with pain, increase perceived effort by impacting available resources and motivation to engage and persist in cognitive and physical tasks. This modulation can directly affect patient engagement and adherence to rehabilitation. When effort is perceived as disproportionate—even for a simple task—it may lead to reduced participation or withdrawal from the care plan. Conversely, a better understanding of effort perception could pave the way for personalized interventions that consider not only patients’ actual capacities but also their subjective experiences. It is therefore urgent to consider the perception of effort as a clinical indicator in its own right—one that sits at the intersection of body, brain and lived experience. By integrating this dimension, research could better explain why some patients disengage from post-stroke care, despite good recovery potential and clinical practice could refine motivational strategies and therapeutic adherence models. The stakes are twofold: improving the understanding of the mechanisms underlying effort perception and harnessing it as a lever for optimizing post-stroke care trajectories.
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BibTeX
@misc{charonitis2026importance,
title = {{On the importance of effort perception in stroke care: From evidence to an ideal care pathway – An opinion paper}},
author = {Maëlle Charonitis and Fabienne Collette and Benjamin Pageaux},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/swfbp_v3},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/swfbp_v3/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - On the importance of effort perception in stroke care: From evidence to an ideal care pathway – An opinion paper
AU - Maëlle Charonitis
AU - Fabienne Collette
AU - Benjamin Pageaux
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/29
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/swfbp_v3
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/swfbp_v3/
AB - Post-stroke rehabilitation has traditionally relied on objective assessments of motor and cognitive abilities. However, one crucial factor remains underestimated in current practice: the perception of effort, that is, the conscious experience of task intensity and difficulty. Effort perception is strongly influenced by internal states such as fatigue and pain, two symptoms frequently reported after stroke, even without major neurological deficits. While these symptoms are often treated separately, they converge into a shared experience: heightened perceived effort. Recent literature suggests that both physical and mental fatigue, along with pain, increase perceived effort by impacting available resources and motivation to engage and persist in cognitive and physical tasks. This modulation can directly affect patient engagement and adherence to rehabilitation. When effort is perceived as disproportionate—even for a simple task—it may lead to reduced participation or withdrawal from the care plan. Conversely, a better understanding of effort perception could pave the way for personalized interventions that consider not only patients’ actual capacities but also their subjective experiences. It is therefore urgent to consider the perception of effort as a clinical indicator in its own right—one that sits at the intersection of body, brain and lived experience. By integrating this dimension, research could better explain why some patients disengage from post-stroke care, despite good recovery potential and clinical practice could refine motivational strategies and therapeutic adherence models. The stakes are twofold: improving the understanding of the mechanisms underlying effort perception and harnessing it as a lever for optimizing post-stroke care trajectories.
ER -