Clinical assessment of motor imagery and physical function in mild stroke patients.
Katsuya Sakai, Yumi Ikeda
PMID 32038070WHAT IT FOUND
In 16 mild stroke patients who could walk, imagining a 10 m walk closely matched actual walking time, and both tracked leg impairment, sensation and daily independence.
This may aid assessment, not show that a treatment works.
Key findings
01In the 16 participants, the time taken to imagine walking 10 m was significantly correlated with the time taken to walk 10 m (ρ = 0.96, p < 0.00).
02Actual 10 m walking time and imagined 10 m walking time were significantly correlated with BRS, SIAS lower-limb items and total, and Motor-FIM, Cognitive-FIM and total FIM scores.
03Estimation error, calculated from the 10 m walking speed and 10 m walking motor imagery, had no significant correlations with the physical function evaluations.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 16 participants were studied, so the relationships may not be stable or generalisable. All participants were mild stroke patients who could walk, and most had relatively mild paralysis, so the results may not apply to more severe or non-ambulatory stroke. There was no healthy control group, so the study cannot show how these measures differ from normal function. The study did not test an intervention, so it cannot show that motor imagery improves function.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that motor imagery training improves walking or function. This study did not test training; it measured 16 mild stroke patients who could already walk and only examined relationships.