Effectiveness of Motor Imagery Combined with Structured Progressive Circuit Class Training on Functional Mobility in Post-Stroke Individuals: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Nilar Aung, Vimonwan Hiengkaew, Jarugool Tretriluxana and 2 others
PMID 35797065WHAT IT FOUND
Both groups improved, but motor imagery added to the same circuit training produced greater gains on some mobility outcomes than health education added to it.
Because both groups received the same circuit training, motor imagery alone cannot be credited for the gains.
Key findings
01Both groups improved over the testing period on affected-limb step count, unaffected-limb step count, 6-minute walk distance and Timed Up and Go time.
02The type of training interacted with time for affected-limb step count, 6-minute walk distance and Timed Up and Go, but not unaffected-limb step count.
03At the final assessment, the motor imagery group had better affected-limb step count, unaffected-limb step count and Timed Up and Go time than the health education group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study screened 290 people and excluded 246 because they did not meet strict criteria, so the results apply only to people who were already able to walk at least 10 m and had mild to moderate stroke deficits. The sample was small, with 40 participants, and the study was done in Myanmar, so it may not represent other settings. 55% of participants had haemorrhagic stroke, which differs from many studies where most participants had ischaemic stroke. The training tasks were similar to the outcome tests, so gains may reflect practice on those specific tasks rather than broader mobility. The study did not assess transfer to other tasks, learning challenge, or long-term effects. Because both groups received the same circuit training, the study cannot separate the effect of motor imagery from the effect of circuit training.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that motor imagery alone improves post-stroke mobility. Both groups received the same 65-minute circuit training, and the health education group also improved on all measures, so the study cannot separate motor imagery from circuit training.