Mirror Therapy for Hemiparesis Following Stroke: A Review

< h3 class= " a-plus-plus " > Abstract < /h3 > < span class= " a-plus-plus abstract-section id-a-sec1 " > < h3 class= " a-plus-plus " > Purpose of Review < /h3 > < p class= " a-plus-plus " > Ramachandran (Nature 377:489 –490, < span class= " a-plus-plus citation-ref citationid-c-r2 " > 1995 < /span > ) showed that in amputees, phantom limb pain described as a spasming or immobile phantom limb can be alleviated by watching their reflection of the intact limb in a parasagittally placed mirror while moving the intact limb and the phantom simultaneously. This suggested that therapy via mirror visual feedback —mirror therapy—might be considered for other diseases and conditions characterized by poor mobility. We were the first to show that mirror therapy might be beneficial for hemiparesis following stroke. There have now been numerous case reports and studies of mirror therapy for hemiparesis follow ing stroke. < /p > < /span > < span class= " a-plus-plus abstract-section id-a-sec2 " > < h3 class= " a-plus-plus " > Recent Findings < /h3 > < p class= " a-plus-plus " > Overall, the majority of studies done thus far on patients with hemiparesis in the subacute or chronic phase following stroke find mirror therapy to be more beneficial than control treatments. Even when mirror therapy is not superior to control therapy, the reason for this is there are similar improvements in both groups. There have not been adverse effects in patients that perform mirror therapy for hemipares...

Source: Current Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Reports - July 24, 2016 Category: Rehabilitation Source Type: research