Article

Patient-led therapy has the potential to increase the
amount of therapy patients undertake during stroke rehabilitation and to enhance
recovery. Our objective was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of 2
patient-led therapies during the acute stages of stroke care: mirror therapy for
the upper limb and lower-limb exercises for the lower limb. METHODS: This was a
blind assessed, multicenter, pragmatic randomized controlled trial of patient-led
upper-limb mirror therapy and patient-led lower leg exercises. Stroke survivors
with upper and lower limb limitations, undergoing inpatient rehabilitation and
able to consent were recruited at least 1 week poststroke. RESULTS: Both
interventions proved feasible, with >90% retention. No serious adverse events
were reported. Both groups did less therapy than recommended; typically 5 to 15
minutes for 7 days or less. Participants receiving mirror therapy (n = 63) tended
to do less practice than those doing lower-limb exercises (n = 31). Those with
neglect did 69% less mirror therapy than those without (P = .02), which was not
observed in the exercise group. Observed between-group differences were modest
but neglect, upper-limb strength, and dexterity showed some improvement in the
mirror therapy group. No changes were seen in the lower-limb group. CONCLUSIONS:
Both patient-led mirror therapy and lower-limb exercises during inpatient stroke
care are safe, feasible, and acceptable and warrant further investigation.
Practice for 5 to 15 minutes for 7 days is a realistic prescription unless
strategies to enhance adherence are included.
CI - (c) The Author(s) 2015.
- Thérapie en miroir

Langue : ANGLAIS