CHICAGO (AP) - U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk is expected to go back to work in Washington this week, nearly a year after suffering a major stroke.

The 53-year-old Republican’s return is good news for fellow stroke patients and medical researchers.

Dr. Elliot Roth, medical director at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago’s New Patient Recovery Unit, said it’s estimated only one-third of stroke patients return to work.

Kirk has been participating in a medical study that involves intense walking therapy. Roth said Kirk’s return to the Senate can be highly motivational for others who have suffered strokes.

Kirk was elected to the Senate in 2010. His stroke in January 2012 severely limited movement on his left side and affected his speech, though doctors expected him to make a full mental recovery.

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