Mirror Therapy in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I

Mirror Visual Feedback as Therapeutic Modality in Unilateral Upper Extremity Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I

The aim is to evaluate the efficacy of Mirror Therapy on pain reduction and hand function in subjects with unilateral upper extremity Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I.

Subjects were randomly divided into two groups. Group A carried out a ten-minute Mirror Therapy exercise daily, for a total duration of six weeks. Group B acted as a control group for six weeks followed by six weeks of Mirror Therapy with the same characteristics as Group A. Upper extremity active range of motion, strength, dexterity, limb volume, right-left temperature difference, and health-related quality of life were evaluated before and after each period. Daily records on the visual analogue scale were used for pain evaluation. Effectiveness was calculated using mixed-effects modelling for between-group comparisons and within-group variability and identifying significant predictors.

Inclusion Criteria:

- diagnosis of CRPS I based on the Budapest criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

• failure to meet the diagnostic Budapest clinical criteria for CRPS I
• previous use of Mirror Therapy prior to the commencement of this study
• substantial difficulties in cooperation
• a significant change to the subjects' treatment regimen, outside of the study design