If you suspect a person is having a stroke you should ask them to stick out their tongue? 1
Can a patient have a stroke and be able to stick out their tongue perfectly? Absolutely. If a person is having a stroke can the tongue be crooked? Yes this is also true. However as a test it is far less valuable than F.A.S.T. (face, arms, speech, time) because with the tongue test there is room for interpretation of the results. How crooked is crooked? How far to one side does the tongue have to go it can be regarded as a clear sign of a stroke having occurred? There are too many variables regarding tongue deviation. FACE – Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop? ARMS – Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? SPEECH – Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. Are the words slurred? Can the person repeat the sentence correctly? TIME – If the person shows any symptoms, time is important. Call 9-1-1 immediately.
