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Mirror therapy enhances upper extremity motor recovery in stroke patients

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of mirror therapy program in addition with physical therapy methods on upper limb recovery in patients with subacute ischemic stroke. 15 subjects followed a comprehensive rehabilitative treatment, 8 subjects received only control therapy (CT) and 7 subjects received mirror therapy (MT) for 30 min every day, five times a week, for 6 weeks in addition to the conventional therapy. Brunnstrom stages, Fugl–Meyer Assessment (upper extremity), the Ashworth Scale, and Bhakta Test (finger flexion scale) were used to assess changes in upper limb motor recovery and motor function after intervention. After 6 weeks of treatment, patients in both groups showed significant improvements in the variables measured. Patients who received MT showed greater improvements compared to the CT group. The MT treatment results included: improvement of motor functions, manual skills and activities of daily living. The best results were obtained when the treatment was started soon after the stroke. MT is an easy and low-cost method to improve motor recovery of the upper limb.

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Acknowledgments

The research is not financed.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical standard

The authors declare that participation were voluntary, all subjects gave their informed consent before entering the study. The study was carried out in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration.

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Informed consent for publication was obtained from the patient.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Bioengineering, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa” Iasi, 9-13 Kogalniceanu Street, 700454, Iasi, Romania

    Luca Mirela Cristina & Daniela Matei

  2. Department of Neurology, Faculty of General Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa” Iasi, Str.Universitatii NR.16, 700115, Iasi, Romania

    Bogdan Ignat & Cristian Dinu Popescu

Authors
  1. Luca Mirela Cristina
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  2. Daniela Matei
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  3. Bogdan Ignat
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  4. Cristian Dinu Popescu
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Correspondence to Daniela Matei.

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Mirela Cristina, L., Matei, D., Ignat, B. et al. Mirror therapy enhances upper extremity motor recovery in stroke patients. Acta Neurol Belg 115, 597–603 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13760-015-0465-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13760-015-0465-5

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