Mirror Therapy for Hand Function Recovery in Acute Stroke
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Mirror Therapy Conventional Physiotherapy.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Acute Stroke. Basic parameters: 40 years — 55 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Pakistan
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Effectiveness of Mirror Therapy in Improving Motor Recovery and Hand Function in Patients With Acute Stroke A Randomized Controlled Trial
Overview
Randomized controlled trial to determine whether mirror therapy (MT), added to conventional physiotherapy, improves upper-limb motor recovery, hand function, spasticity, and range of motion (ROM) in acute stroke compared with conventional physiotherapy alone. Outcomes include ARAT, Motor Assessment Scale, Modified Ashworth Scale, and goniometric ROM.
Detailed description
Stroke causes significant upper-limb impairment in the acute stage; early, targeted rehabilitation leverages heightened neuroplasticity. Mirror therapy uses a mid-sagittal mirror to reflect movements of the non-paretic limb, creating the illusion of normal movement in the paretic limb, recruiting mirror neuron circuits and facilitating motor relearning. Prior work suggests MT can improve fine and gross motor skills, reduce spasticity, and increase active ROM. This trial operationalizes a pragmatic MT protocol integrated with standard inpatient/outpatient physiotherapy in acute stroke.
Interventions
- Behavioral Mirror Therapy Conventional Physiotherapy
Experimental: Mirror Therapy + Conventional Physiotherapy Mirror therapy performed 20 min/session, 2 sessions/week for 1 week. A mirror is placed midsagittal, reflecting the non-paretic limb while hiding the paretic limb. Patients perform bilateral movements (wrist, finger, elbow flex/extension; reaching/grasping) while focusing on the mirror image. This is followed by 20 min of conventional physiotherapy, including strengthening, functional tasks, theraputty squeezes, finger extension with rubb
Primary outcome measures
- Upper-Limb Function (ARAT total score, 0-57) [Time frame: 6 Months]
Secondary outcome measures (1)
- Motor Function (Motor Assessment Scale - relevant upper-limb items, 0-6 per item) [Time frame: 6months]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Age 40-55 years
- Acute ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke within the last 1 month
- Unilateral hemiparesis/hemiplegia
- Medically stable and cleared for rehabilitation
- Able to follow verbal instructions; MMSE ≥ 24
- Provides written informed consent
Exclusion criteria
- Recurrent stroke or bilateral involvement
- Severe cognitive impairment (MMSE < 24)
- Visual field deficits, unilateral neglect, or severe aphasia interfering with MT
- Other neurological disorders (e.g., Parkinson's, MS)
- Orthopedic conditions affecting upper limb/trunk
- Uncontrolled cardio-respiratory disease limiting exercise
- Severe spasticity (MAS ≥ 3) in affected limb
- Concurrent enrollment in other interventional trials
- Inability/refusal to consent
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
Study locations
Pakistan · 1 center
- Riphah international University Malakand Campus — Malakand
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07204067 · RIPHAH-REC Sapna Kursheed