Effectiveness of mirror therapy on upper limb function, activities of daily living, and depression in post-stroke depression patients

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the effects of mirror therapy (MT) on upper limb function, activities of daily living (ADLs), and depression in post-stroke depression patients. Patients and methods: Between November 2018 and December 2019, a total of 60 post-stroke patients (33 males, 27 females; mean age: 58.45±11.13 years; range, 35 to 88 years) were included. The patients were randomly divided into either the cosntrol group (n=30) or the MT group (n=30). Regular occupational therapy was provided for the control group (two times per day for 30 min per session, five times per week over four weeks). Occupational therapy and MT were used to treat patients in the mirror group (one 30 min session once per day, five times per week over four weeks). Motor function (Fugl-Meyer Assessment of the Upper Extremity, FMA-UE), ADL (Modified Barthel Index, MBI) and depression (17-item Hamilton Depression Scale, HAMD-17) were used to evaluate the treatment outcomes. Results: Before treatment, the mean HAMD-17, FMA-UE, and MBI scores showed no significant difference between the two groups (p>0.05). After treatment, the mirror group exhibited more significant improvements than the control group in terms of the mean HAMD-17, FM-UE, and MBI (p<0.05). After four weeks, the mean FMA-UE and MBI scores revealed more significant improvements than the baseline scores in the control group (p<0.01). The mean HAMD-17, FMA-UE, and MBI scores showed more significant improvements than the baseline scores in the MT group (p<0.001). Conclusion: Based on these results, MT can effectively improve motor function, ADLs, and depression in post-stroke depression patients. The curative effectiveness of MT seems to be more prominent than the regular occupational therapy.

Effect of Mirror Intervention Program on Hand Activity, Mastery Motivation and Self-Esteem among Children with Cerebral Palsy

“…Furthermore, there are minor studies that assessed the effect of mirror intervention on a child"s psychological aspects. So, based on several studies that applied to post-stroke patients and have significant positive results in relieving psychological problems (Zhang et al, 2021;Polamraju, 2022). The current study was conducted to evaluate whether the mirror intervention is a feasible intervention for children with CP and may improve the children"s psychological aspects in the form of mastery motivation in performing tasks and daily activities independently as well as increasing their self-esteem and consequently promoting their positive self-concept.…”

Post-stroke depression, activities of daily living, and occupational therapy intervention: An observational survey

“…Recent studies report findings where OT is combined with other treatments, pharmacological and nonpharmacological, to evaluate the effectiveness of these ones. (Maltseva et al, 2018;Zhang et al, 2021). Most notably, the first study featured only men, whereas the other was specifically about mirror therapy.…”

Efficacy and safety of scalp acupuncture for poststroke depression: A meta-analysis and systematic review

“…[1] The pathogenesis of PSD involves various domains, including neurobiology, anatomy, psychology, sociology, and other domains, although the specific mechanisms are yet to be elucidated. Epidemiological surveys [2][3][4] reveal that the prevalence of PSD is approximately 31% within 5 years of the onset of stroke, with significant temporal variations peaking 3 to 6 months following the event. Additionally, 1 study found that the incidence of PSD was around 41.1% 3 months after the initial cerebral infarction.…”