Mirror Therapy Education for Acute Stroke Patients

Effectiveness of Patient Education on Mirror Therapy to Improve Upper Extremity Function in Acute Stroke Patients

In Canada, the number of stroke survivors is equivalent to the size of one of the four Atlantic Provinces. The incident rate of stroke has been increasing steadily since 1995. The majority of the stroke survivors lose upper extremity function, resulting in diminished activities of daily living (ADL). Many therapeutic interventions are recommended to improve upper extremity function or ADLs of stroke survivors, however, Mirror Therapy (MT), inexpensive intervention, can be self-administered by stroke survivors with intact cognition. Thus, the research question is whether a self-administered MT technique improves acute stroke patients' upper extremity motor function and recovery?

Inclusion Criteria:

• Admitted with diagnosis of stroke with onset within two weeks
• Medically stable
• Able to follow directions
• No severe cognitive impairments that could interfere with patient participation
• Consent to treatment by patient
• Alpha-Functional Independence Measure (Alpha-FIM) score of > 40

Exclusion Criteria:

• Medical instability
• Lack of motivation
• Recurrent/ chronic stroke
• Recent upper extremity musculoskeletal injuries with movement restrictions
• Receptive or global aphasia
• Delirium
• Unilateral neglect
• Visual field deficiency.