Deans' stroke musings: A Systematic Review of Efficacy of Mental Practice in Chronic Stroke Rehabilitation

Changing stroke rehab and research worldwide now.Time is Brain! trillions and trillions of neurons that DIE each day because there are NO effective hyperacute therapies besides tPA(only 12% effective). I have 523 posts on hyperacute therapy, enough for researchers to spend decades proving them out. These are my personal ideas and blog on stroke rehabilitation and stroke research. Do not attempt any of these without checking with your medical provider. Unless you join me in agitating, when you need these therapies they won't be there.

What this blog is for:

My blog is not to help survivors recover, it is to have the 10 million yearly stroke survivors light fires underneath their doctors, stroke hospitals and stroke researchers to get stroke solved. 100% recovery. The stroke medical world is completely failing at that goal, they don't even have it as a goal. Shortly after getting out of the hospital and getting NO information on the process or protocols of stroke rehabilitation and recovery I started searching on the internet and found that no other survivor received useful information. This is an attempt to cover all stroke rehabilitation information that should be readily available to survivors so they can talk with informed knowledge to their medical staff. It lays out what needs to be done to get stroke survivors closer to 100% recovery. It's quite disgusting that this information is not available from every stroke association and doctors group.

Friday, April 5, 2013

A Systematic Review of Efficacy of Mental Practice in Chronic Stroke Rehabilitation

Bets on how long before this makes it to clinical practice. 15 years. My opinion is this should start while still in the hospital. Actual therapy hours are so small while there. You can listen to music at the same time and get double the benefit. 25 years before that is put into clinical practice.
http://scholar.google.com/scholar_url?hl=en&q=http://www.researchgate.net/publication/234129776_A_Systematic_Review_of_Efficacy_of_Mental_Practice_in_Chronic_Stroke_Rehabilitation/file/32bfe50f700b09b596.pdf&sa=X&scisig=AAGBfm3y94MGasFoOPwCoP6S1Ucdws7W3Q&oi=scholaralrt
ABSTRACT
Background: Although the beneficial effects of mental practice on motor function after stroke have been reported by
several groups. However, it has not been determined yet, when it is best to start mental practice for stroke rehabilitation; acute or
chronic stage. Objective: The aim of this 2nd part of systematic reviews is to assess the effectiveness of mental practice on
functional recovery when applied in chronic stage of stroke patients. Methods: A systematic literature search of electronic
databases were performed by 2 researchers independently who screened and selected all randomized controlled trials that
investigated the effects of mental practice on functional recovery when applied in chronic stage of stroke patient. Eligible studies
published till June 2011 were selected. Results: A total of 5 randomized controlled trials were included in this systematic review.
The included studies were of high quality. Results suggest that mental practice combined with physical practice improves
functional recovery. Conclusions: Mental practice remains a promising motor intervention for chronic stroke rehabilitation.
However a relatively small body of evidence for application mental practice in different recovery stages of stroke patient still
exists. Future studies employing high quality research with research designed at the upper levels of the hierarchy of evidence are
recommended to strengthen the present evidence. [Egypt J Neurol Psychiat Neurosurg. 2012; 49(3): 173-180]