<p>Mirror Therapy in Stroke Rehabilitation: Current Perspectives</p>

Abstract

In contrast to varied therapy approaches, mirror therapy (MT) can be used even in completely plegic stroke survivors, as it uses visual stimuli for producing a desired response in the affected limb. MT has been studied to have effects not just on motor impairments but also on sensations, visuospatial neglect, and pain after stroke. This paper attempts to systematically review and present the current perspectives on mirror therapy and its application in stroke rehabilitation, and dosage, feasibility and acceptability in stroke rehabilitation. An electronic database search across Google, PubMed, Web of Science, etc., generated 3871 results. After screening them based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, we included 28 studies in this review. The data collected were divided on the basis of application in stroke rehabilitation, modes of intervention delivery, and types of control and outcome assessment. We found that most studies intervened for upper limb motor impairments post stroke. Studies were equally distributed between intervention in chronic and acute phases post stroke with therapy durations lasting between 1 and 8 weeks. MT showed definitive motor and sensory improvements although the extent of improvements in sensory impairments and hemineglect is limited. MT proves to be an effective and feasible approach to rehabilitate post-stroke survivors in the acute, sub-acute, and chronic phases of stroke, although its long-term effects and impact on activities of daily living need to be analysed extensively.

Care for Patients with Stroke During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Suggestions for Preventing Secondary Stroke

“…Mirror therapy (MT) has been proven to be an effective and feasible approach for rehabilitating patients who have had a stroke. 61 MT utilizes a mirror that reflects the movement of an unaffected limb and gives the illusion of movement of the affected limb. This visual stimulus is believed to facilitate the mirror neurons involved in imitative learning through interaction with the neural motor area.…”

“… 63 The application time is adjustable to acute, subacute, and chronic cases of stroke. 61 The mirror is normally positioned between the affected and unaffected limbs such that the movement of the healthy limb is perceived as the movement of the unaffected limb. The entire procedure is straightforward to execute through simple instruction and can be performed under minimal supervision.…”

Lower Extremity Rehabilitation in Patients with Post-Stroke Sequelae through Virtual Reality Associated with Mirror Therapy

“…The most commonly used post-stroke rehabilitation techniques usually refer to correct posture, avoiding synkinesis, increasing muscle strength, active mobilization, proprioception, balance, and daily activities training. All these techniques and objectives are achieved in rehabilitation programs designed to repeatedly challenge the body during the day and through relaxation and a correct posture during the night [ 6 , 7 ].…”

An Autotuning Cable-Driven Device for Home Rehabilitation

“…H-Man allows to perform repeated movements recovering motion functionalities lost due to an injury or illness [ 7 ]. Another solution, mirror therapy (MT), is proposed in [ 8 ]. MT utilizes a mirror that reflects the movement of an unaffected limb and gives the illusion of movement of the affected limb.…”