Mirror Therapy in Stroke Rehabilitation: Current Perspectives

Area of Science:

• Neurorehabilitation
• Physical Therapy
• Stroke Recovery

Background:

• Mirror therapy (MT) utilizes visual feedback for motor control, applicable even in severe paralysis.
• MT has demonstrated potential benefits for motor deficits, sensory impairments, visuospatial neglect, and pain post-stroke.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review current perspectives on mirror therapy in stroke rehabilitation.
• To analyze the dosage, feasibility, and acceptability of MT interventions.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of MT for various post-stroke impairments.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of electronic databases (Google, PubMed, Web of Science).
• Inclusion of 28 studies after screening 3871 results based on defined criteria.
• Data categorization by application, intervention delivery, control type, and outcome assessment.

Main Results:

• Most studies focused on upper limb motor impairments, with interventions across acute and chronic stroke phases (1-8 weeks duration).
• Mirror therapy demonstrated significant improvements in motor and sensory functions.
• Limited improvements were observed for sensory impairments and hemineglect.

Conclusions:

• Mirror therapy is an effective and feasible rehabilitation strategy for stroke survivors in acute, sub-acute, and chronic phases.
• Further extensive research is needed to analyze the long-term effects of MT.
• The impact of mirror therapy on activities of daily living warrants comprehensive investigation.