Effectiveness of Mirror Therapy to Improve Hand Functions in Acute and Subacute Stroke Patients

Abstract

Background and aim: Trials have shown modest clinical improvement in disabilities after stroke with the use of different techniques; however most of the treatment protocols for the paretic hand are either expensive or labour intensive, which makes the provision of intensive treatment for many patients difficult. Mirror therapy (MT) is an alternative therapeutic intervention that uses the interaction of visuomotor-proprioception inputs to enhance movement performance of the impaired hand. It has been suggested that mirror therapy is a simple, inexpensive and, most importantly patient-directed treatment that may improve hand function. The aim of this pilot study was to assess the effectiveness of Mirror Therapy to improve hand functions in acute and sub-acute stroke patients. Method: In a pre-test-post-test single-group design, a convenience sample of 11 of acute and sub-acute stroke patients at Department of Physiotherapy, in Pad. Dr. Vikhe Patil Hospital, Ahmednagar. Participants received a Mirror Therapy program, performing various movements by the less affected upper extremity and observing in the mirror box along with conventional management, 4 days per week for 4 weeks. Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), which includes subsection hand (FMA-WH), Wolf Motor Function Test (WFMT-WH) were used as an outcome measure. Results: Participants showed significant improvement for FMA-WH and WFMT-WH at post assessment. WFMT- WH changed from 7.545 to 15.727. (p=<0.0001) whereas FMA-WH changed from 34.18 to 47.36. (p=0.0002). Conclusion: The preliminary findings suggest that Mirror therapy can be a useful intervention supplement in rehabilitation of patients; it provides a simple and cost effective therapy for wrist and hand motor recovery in acute and sub-acute stroke patients. Further studies in the form of randomized trials are needed to validate its effectiveness. Keywords: