NCT01656876

The Effects of Mirror Therapy on Upper Extremity in Stroke Patients

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (actual)
• Sponsor: Taipei Medical University Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 20 Years – 75 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to compare treatment efficacy of mirror therapy (MT), mirror therapy combining mesh glove (MG+MT) stimulation, and controlled treatment (CT) in people with stroke.

Detailed description

55% to 75% of people after stroke have a paretic arm that causes motor impairment. Among novel rehabilitation interventions, MT was found to be beneficial and comparatively low-cost. MT reduced motor impairment possibly in part of recruiting the premotor cortex or balancing the neural activation within the primary motor cortex toward the affected hemisphere. However, the benefits in certain aspects of outcomes are under debate. Another treatment, MG, can be used to normalize muscle tone, suppress muscle spasticity, enhance residual volitional activity of hand and arm, or even increasing walking speed. In addition, providing MG stimulation might result in plastic changes in the primary motor cortex, and induced a long-lasting modulated effect on motor cortical excitability. The possible mechanism of brain plasticity underlying MG is collective with the mechanism behind the MT. Adding MG to MT might augment the cortical reorganization. In sum, combining MT with MG may supplement the disadvantage or uncertain effects of MT and broaden the benefited outcomes.

Conditions

• Cerebrovascular Accident

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Mirror box training	This protocol includes 1 hour mirror therapy and 0.5 hour functional training in a session. The treatment intensity is 1.5 hours/day, 5 days/week, for 4 weeks. MT focuses on symmetrical bimanual movements and simultaneously observing the visual feedback of the unaffected upper extremity reflected by the mirror.
OTHER	mesh glove stimulation	The MG is a two-channel electrical stimulator providing synchronous or reciprocal sensory stimulation with variant amplitudes.
BEHAVIORAL	conventional intervention	Participants in this group receive a structured protocol based on occupational therapy such as neuro-developmental techniques and task-oriented approach

Timeline

• Start date: 2010-09-01
• Primary completion: 2014-05-01
• Completion: 2014-05-01
• First posted: 2012-08-03
• Last updated: 2015-11-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Taiwan