Mirror therapy and treadmill training for patients with chronic stroke: a pilot randomized controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Neurorehabilitation
• Physical Therapy
• Stroke Recovery

Background:

• Previous lower-limb mirror therapy research primarily utilized non-weight-bearing interventions.
• This study explores a novel combination of mirror therapy and treadmill training for post-stroke lower-limb recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect and feasibility of combined mirror therapy and treadmill training.
• To compare this intervention against a placebo in patients with chronic stroke.

Main Methods:

• Thirty patients with chronic stroke participated in a 4-week program.
• Intervention group (n=15) received mirror therapy with treadmill training.
• Placebo group (n=15) received treadmill training without mirror visual feedback.

Main Results:

• A significant reduction in ankle muscle tone (Modified Ashworth Scale) was observed in the mirror therapy group post-training.
• No significant differences were found between groups for walking tests (10MWT, 6MWT) or overall lower extremity function (FMA-LE).
• Muscle tone improvements were not sustained at the 3-month follow-up.

Conclusions:

• Combined mirror therapy and treadmill training effectively reduced ankle muscle tone in chronic stroke survivors.
• The intervention demonstrated feasibility with good participant compliance and no reported adverse events.
• Further research is needed to explore long-term effects and broader functional improvements.