Hello, I'm new to the board, so my apologies if this question has already been covered. But I wasn't able to find an answer that addressed my specific situation.

The question is this, how is strain recovered once a character has been incapacitated? Are they allowed to make the check for recovering strain that is available normally at the end of the encounter? If they fail this check, what are their options?

Since they're aren't, by my reading, allowed to take any actions until their strain is at a net positive, it seems the only avenue for healing strain - short of someone else healing them with a stimpak or somesuch - is to 'sleep it off' and wait for natural healing to occur, a process that would take at least overnight.

Am I missing something obvious, or is this the way exceeding your strain threshold is supposed to work?

I would think they can make the same post-encounter roll that awake characters can. If that comes up all blanks, I don't think it would take "overnight" to get some Strain back. Personally I'd divide their Strain threshold by 8 and say that's how many their current amount is reduced by per hour of being unconscious. Once they're below their threshold, maybe a setback dice for another hour on any action due to being "groggy".

Otherwise, if the group is under pressure and needs the character to wake up NOW, you could resort to whatever is cinematically appropriate. I could see someone making a Medicine roll, using smelling salts if they have a medpack, or patting wrists and rubbing ankles if they don't; or even Leadership or Coerce (think of the scene in The Abyss..."Fiiight! Fiiiiiight!").

Again the oddity that Stimpacks can't be used to shake off stun damage chafes my sensibilities.

advantage on a medical check once per encounter (first aid) can be used to remove strain

Thanks all. I like the idea of graduating the strain recovery. (threshold/8 per hour)