Mental practice combined with physical practice for upper-limb motor deficit in subacute stroke
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 5, 2026
Cognitive Function and Upper Limb Rehabilitation Training Post-Stroke Using a Digital Occupational Training System
Published on: December 29, 2023
S J Page1, P Levine, S A Sisto
1Outcomes Research Department, Kessler Medical Research and Education Corporation, 1199 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, NJ 07051, USA. spage@kmrrec.org
Background And Purpose:
This case report describes a patient with upper-limb hemiparesis (ULH) who received a program combining physical therapy for the affected side with mental practice.
Case Description:
The patient was a 56-year-old man with stable motor deficits, including ULH, on his dominant side resulting from a right parietal infarct that occurred 5 months previously. He received physical therapy for an hour 3 times a week for 6 weeks. In addition, 2 times a week the patient listened to an audiotape instructing him to imagine himself functionally using the affected limb. The patient also listened to the audiotape at home 2 times a week. Pretreatment and posttreatment measures were the upper-extremity scale of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Sensorimotor Impairment (Fugl-Meyer Scale), the Action Research Arm Test (ARA), and the Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment of Movement (STREAM).
Outcomes:
The patient exhibited reduction in impairment (Fugl-Meyer Scale) and improvement in arm function, as measured by the ARA and STREAM.
Discussion:
Mental practice may complement physical therapy to improve motor function after stroke.
