Effect of mental practice using inverse video of the unaffected upper limb in a subject with chronic hemiparesis after stroke

Well shit, this is just a fancier way of doing mirror therapy. But they got a research paper out of it, with no increase in stroke rehab knowledge and the impossibility of managing to do this by the stroke survivor alone.

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jpts/28/10/28_jpts-2016-545/_pdf

E

Naoki Iso, OTR, PhD

1, 2)

,

Shirou Ooso, OTR

1)

,

Noboru Yamamoto, MD

1)

,

Takefumi Moriuchi, OTR, MS

2, 3)

,

Akira Sagari, OTR, PhD

4)

,

Fumiko Iso, OTR, MS

5)

,

Koji Tanaka, OTR, PhD

5)

,

Takayuki Tabira, OTR, PhD

6)

,

Toshio Higashi, OTR, PhD

2)*

1)

Medical Corporation Toujinkai Miharadai Hospital, Japan

2)

Unit of Rehabilitation Sciences, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences:

1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Nagasaki 852-8520, Japan

3)

Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan

4)

Shinshu University School of Health Science, Japan

5)

Unit of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical

Sciences, Japan

6)

Kagoshima University Faculty of Medicine School of Health Sciences, Japan

Abstract.

[Purpose] The aim of this case study was to investigate whether a method of mental practice (MP)

using an inverse video of a subject’s unaffected limb to complement the vividness of motor imagery (MI) would be effective for improving affected upper limb function. [Subjects and Methods] The participant was 60-year-old male in the chronic stage of stroke recovery with left sided hemiparesis. The design of the study was AB method of Single-System-Design. He performed the MP as a home program with DVD. The intervention lasted 30 minutes a session, twice a day, 5 times a week, over 6 weeks. The DVD was created using inverse video of his unaffected upper limb. Primary outcome measures were used the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for upper limb (FMA) and the Motor Activity Log (MAL) 3 times each baseline, intervention and follow-up. The subjective vividness of MI was assessed by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). [Results] FMA and MAL score during intervention was improved significantly comparing to baseline, and maintained in withdrawal. VAS score was improved in withdrawal comparing to baseline. [Conclusion] Results suggested that effect of mental practice for stroke patients increased by vividness of motor

imagery was improved by the inverse video.