Mirror Therapy for Improving Motor Function After Stroke

Mirror Therapy for Improving Motor Function After Stroke
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Mirror Therapy for Improving Motor Function After Stroke
Mirror Therapy tricks the brain into regenerating neural networks that control motor functioning in stroke survivors. Stoke is one of the leading causes of neural network damage to the limbs in the world. Stroke when the flow of blood short, causing death to the brain cells. The death of brain cells results in several temporary or permanent disabilities, including paralysis, pain, and difficulty in walking, eating, and getting dressed ("Stroke - Symptoms and causes," 2021). The impact of stroke depends on the site of the brain it affects and the quickness of medical intervention (Adamjee, 2020).
About 80% of people have trouble in mobility on one side of their arms and legs immediately after suffering a stroke. Studies have shown that effective therapeutic interventions which focus on the repetition of useful tasks can improve recovery of motor functioning after suffering from a stroke. Mirror therapy uses a mirror that is placed between the patient's midsagittal plane to reflect the non-paretic side, which simulates the affected side. 80% of the people who suffer from mild Stroke can gain full functioning of their upper limbs with therapy. However, only 20% of people who recover from severe Stroke regain full upper limb functionality with conventional therapy methods (Thieme et al., 2018). Mirror therapy, however unconventional, is useful in motor function recovery in stroke patients because it is effective, safe, and cheap.
Even though studies show that only 20% of patients who have suffered severe Stroke regain motor function with conventional therapy, mirror therapy has proven to be more effective in these patients as well as in patients with mild Stroke. Studies also show that motor recovery of the upper limb more so than the lower limb is more common with this type of therapy. Patients with acute stroke show marked improvement in the recovery of the upper limbs, especially in their hands, shoulders, wrist, elbow, and forearm, with mirror therapy. Motor recovery using mirror therapy also shows improvement in the speed, range, and accuracy of movement. Mirror therapy has also proven to improve grip strength enabling patients to carry out daily self-care tasks independently. Mirror therapy can be effective because it takes advantage of the mechanisms that activate brain function. Because it incorporates passive observation and motion simulation, mirror therapy activates motor neurons in the cerebral cortex and spinal cord. Motion simulation can be achieved through the mirror-neuron system, which uses visuomotor nerves to activate the brain to observe, imagine or carry out a task. These nerves are responsible for the learning of new motor skills (Lee et al., 2012).
Mirror therapy is a cost-...