title: Mental practice maintains range of motion despite forearm immobilization: a pilot study in healthy persons.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether mental practice of wrist movements during forearm immobilization maintains range of motion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen healthy young men aged between 20 and 30 years were assigned to either a control or a mental practice group. Both groups were immobilized with a circular forearm cast for 3 weeks to simulate a distal radial fracture.
  
  
  METHODS
  The mental practice group received 1 × 60-min, followed by 3 × 30-min, sessions of supervised mental practice. Consecutively, they were asked to perform 15 min/day of self-guided imagery sessions, during which they mentally exercised motion sequences of the immobilized joint. The training program followed the Mental Gait Training procedure. The control group did no training. Wrist movement was measured with a goniometer before and after immobilization.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mental practice preserved dorsal extension and ulnar abduction. The sedentary control group showed due to this variables a significant decrease after cast removal. There was no significant change in palmar flexion and radial abduction in either group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the study limitations, these results suggest that mental practice may be useful in preventing loss of hand function associated with mid-term immobilization. Because of the expected clinical benefits, the low cost and simple application of the intervention, the effects of mental practice in orthopedic rehabilitation of the upper extremity warrant further study.
authors: Department of Sport Psychology, Institute of Sport and Sport Science, University of Heidelberg, 69 115 Heidelberg, Germany. marie.frenkel@issw.uni-heidelberg.de.
authors: Marie O
authors: MO
authors: Frenkel
authors: Daniela S
authors: DS
authors: Herzig
authors: Florian
authors: F
authors: Gebhard
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Mayer
authors: Clemens
authors: C
authors: Becker
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Einsiedel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D059031:Anticipation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D001828:Body Image; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005542:Forearm / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D019018:Imagery, Psychotherapy; D007103:Immobilization; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D016544:Patient Simulation; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D011885:Radius Fractures / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D014955:Wrist Joint / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult