Effect of mirror therapy combined with somatosensory stimulation on motor recovery and daily function in stroke patients: A pilot study

Background/Purpose: Mirror therapy (MT) has been recommended as a simple, inexpensive approach to treat motor dysfunction. The use of a mesh glove (MG) was suggested to normalize muscle tone that ameliorates motor impairment. Combining two efficient treatment protocols might maximize the benefits from training. This study investigated the effects of MT combined with MG (MG+MT) versus MT alone on motor performance and daily function after stroke. Methods: Sixteen patients with chronic unilateral stroke were recruited. A randomized two-group pretest and posttest design was used to randomly assign participants to MG+MT or MT groups. MT involves repetitive bimanual, symmetrical movement practice in which the individual moves the affected limb as much as she/he could while watching the reflective illusion of the unaffected limb's movements from a mirror. The MG+MT group wore a MG on the affected hand during the MT. The Modified Ashworth scale of muscle spasticity (MAS), Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), Box and Block Test (BBT), and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) were administered to evaluate spasticity, and motor and daily function. Results: The results for the BBT (. p=0.013), total scores (. p=0.031), grasping subscales (. p=0.036) of ARAT, and FIM transfer scores (. p=0.013) presented significantly large effects in favor of the MG+MT group. Conclusion: Combining MG with MT significantly improves manual dexterity, grasping, and transfer performance. Adding the MG component into the MT likely increased the richness of sensory input and improved the movement performance more than MT alone.