title: Task-Based Mirror Therapy Augmenting Motor Recovery in Poststroke Hemiparesis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To establish the effect of the task-based mirror therapy (TBMT) on the upper limb recovery in stroke.
  
  
  METHODS
  A pilot, randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded trial was conducted in a rehabilitation institute. A convenience sample of 33 poststroke (mean duration, 12.5 months) hemiparetic subjects was randomized into 2 groups (experimental, 17; control, 16). The subjects were allocated to receive either TBMT or standard motor rehabilitation-40 sessions (5/week) for a period of 8 weeks. The TBMT group received movements using various goal-directed tasks and a mirror box. The movements were performed by the less-affected side superimposed on the affected side. The main outcome measures were Brunnstrom recovery stage (BRS) and Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA)-FMA of upper extremity (FMA-UE), including upper arm (FMA-UA) and wrist-hand (FMA-WH).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The TBMT group exhibited highly significant improvement on mean scores of FMA-WH (P < .001) and FMA-UE (P < .001) at postassessment in comparison to the control group. Furthermore, there was a 12% increase in the number of subjects at BRS stage 5 (out of synergy movement) in the experimental group as compared to a 0% rise at the same stage in the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This pilot trial confirmed the role of TBMT in improving the wrist-hand motor recovery in poststroke hemiparesis. MT using tasks may be used as an adjunct in stroke rehabilitation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Therapy, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute for the Physically Handicapped, New Delhi, India. Electronic address: kamalnarya@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Kamal Narayan
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Arya
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Therapy, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute for the Physically Handicapped, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Shanta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pandian
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Therapy, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute for the Physically Handicapped, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Dharmendra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, GB Pant Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Vinod
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Puri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019018:Imagery, Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010291:Paresis / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications; D015898:Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Hemiparesis; mirror therapy; motor recovery; stroke rehabilitation; task-specific training; visual illusion