Efficacy of mental practice on paralyzed upper extremity function in the acute phase of stroke: a case study.
Akira Nakashima, Tetsuji Koizumi, Tadashi Shimizu and 2 others
PMID 38832219WHAT IT FOUND
A patient with acute stroke palsy received mental practice combined with mirror therapy.
Her upper limb function scores improved from zero to 25 on the Fugl-Meyer assessment. This single case does not prove the treatment works, but suggests early combined therapy is feasible.
Key findings
01The patient received mental practice combined with mirror therapy starting on day 14, following mirror therapy initiation on day 7.
02The Fugl-Meyer Assessment score for the affected upper extremity increased from 0 at baseline to 25 at day 26.
03The Barthel Index score for activities of daily living increased from 5 at baseline to 60 at day 26.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
This is a single case report, so the findings cannot be generalised to other patients. The patient received multiple interventions simultaneously, including mirror therapy, task-oriented training, and standard occupational therapy, making it impossible to isolate the effect of mental practice. The patient's mental imagery capacity was not assessed, so it is unclear if she could effectively perform the mental practice as intended. Natural recovery during the acute phase of stroke likely contributed to the observed improvements.
Declared interests
The research was funded by JSPS KAKENHI. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume mental practice caused the improvement. The patient received mirror therapy, task-oriented training, and standard occupational therapy concurrently, and natural recovery is common in the acute phase of stroke.