Abstract

The Effect of Mirror Therapy on Functional Recovery of Upper Extremity after Stroke: A Randomized Pilot Study

Author(s): Jung-Hee Kim and Byounghee Lee*

Object: The purpose of this study is to confirm the effect of mirror therapy on motor recovery of upper extremity and to suggest a standard mirror therapy program for stroke patients.

Method: Total 19 chronic stroke patients participate in this study and were randomly divided in two groups mirror therapy group and sham therapy group randomly. The participants of received during 30-minutes, 5 times per week for 4 weeks. The muscle strength, range of motion and muscle tone, grip strength, manual dexterity, functional independence levels were evaluated for compare of effects after interventions.

Result: The mirror therapy group showed significant differences in muscle strength and range of motion of wrist extension, muscle tone of wrist flexor compare to sham therapy group as revealed by electric muscle test Dualer IQ Inclinometer and Modified Ashworth Scale (p<0.05). And the mirror therapy group showed significant improvement in grip strength, manual dexterity, functional independence levels compare to sham therapy group as revealed by electro dynamometer, Box and Block Test and functional Independence Measure( p<0.05).

Conclusion: The mirror therapy can bring positive changes for motor recovery of upper extremity, the mirror therapy program in this study is effective for functional recovery of upper extremity after stroke.