Sign 1: Sudden Weakness or Paralysis on One Side
One arm drops without warning. One leg gives out mid-step. This unilateral weakness, affecting the face, arm, or leg on a single side of the body, is the most reported first symptom of ischemic stroke. The brain's motor cortex controls the opposite side of the body, so a clot or bleed in the left hemisphere typically produces right-side weakness and vice versa. A 2021 study published in The Lancet Neurology found that limb weakness was present in over 70% of confirmed stroke cases at hospital admission across South Asian populations, including India. Do not sit it out. Do not attribute it to tiredness. Get to a hospital.
