Mirror-Box Training in Adults With Chronic Hemiparesis Secondary to Stroke
Stroke
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Stroke focused on measuring mirror training, stroke, hemiparesis, rehabilitation
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- First unilateral ischemic stroke resulting in hemiparesis at least 6 months prior to enrollment.
- Age at time of enrollment: 30-80 years.
- Voluntary informed consent of patient.
- Patient willing to comply with protocol and is available for all scheduled visits.
- Residual upper extremity hemiparesis.
- No changes in medications planned during 8-week participation.
- No other motor rehabilitative therapy during 8-week participation, including E-stim and acupuncture.
- At least 20 degrees of active wrist extension and 10 degrees of active finger extension against gravity in the affected upper limb, as measured by goniometry.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Serious cognitive deficits, as evidenced by score of <20 on Modified Mini-Mental Status Exam
- Hemorrhagic or bilateral strokes
- Excessive spasticity at the elbow, wrist, or hand, defined as a Modified Ashworth Scale score of >2
- History of botulinum toxin injection in affected upper extremity in the past 4 months
- Lacking >40 degrees of passive elbow extension
- Less than 45 degrees of passive shoulder flexion
- Global or receptive aphasia present on physical exam
- Hemispatial neglect present on physical exam
- Patient participating in constraint-induced therapy during study time period
- Severe visual deficits or visual field deficits as determined by ability to ascertain number of fingers held up on visual field testing
- Deformity/amputation of unaffected upper limb
Sites / Locations
- Carolinas Rehabilitation
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Other
Mirror training
Training will be performed one-on-one by an investigator in a quiet room, one hour a day, five days a week, for four weeks. The mirror-box apparatus consists of an 18" x 24" vertical mirror secured in the center of a wooden platform. During training, the mirror-box will be placed on a table in front of the subject so that the mirror is perpendicular to the chest, slightly lateral of midline. Subjects will be asked to attend to the mirror reflection of their unaffected hand performing a series of tasks, while keeping their affected limb still. At the end of the four week training period, posttests will be administered by the same therapist who performed the pretests.