Mirror Therapy Versus PNF on LE Function in Stroke

Riphah International University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Stroke

Treatments: Other: PNF

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05948384

REC01540 Shahnoor Syed

Details and patient eligibility

About

Many rehabilitation strategies are being implemented to treat stroke. Constraint-induced movement therapy and robotics are two potentially useful treatment options for rehabilitation. Range of motion exercises, PNF, mirror therapy is also used. Fitness training, high-intensity treatment, and repetitive-task training are all promising strategies that might help improve elements of gait. Repeated task training may also help with transfer functions

Full description

PNF and mirror therapy has its effect on chronic stroke patients. Both mirror therapy and PNF work on the concept of neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the ability of the nervous system to change its activity in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli by reorganizing its structure, functions, or connections after injuries. Because of brain plasticity, neurorehabilitation has evolved, as evidenced by numerous physiotherapeutic approaches such as proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) and mirror treatment (MT). The reorganization also includes the expansion of cortical regions, which offer the neural foundation for the recovery or adaption of motor activity following injury.

As the literature supports the individual effects of both techniques in stroke population but as per author's access, there is no literature provide the comparison among both techniques i.e. PNF and mirror therapy in lower limb for chronic stroke patients on gait and functionality. Hence the author established the research question that is there any difference among these techniques in stroke population in terms of its effects and efficiency on gait and functionality. The study will provide an insight to the clinician about which technique has the superior/ better effects for the lower extremity functions in chronic stroke patients thus telling the effects two neurorehabilitation methods i.e. proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) and mirror therapy (MT).

Enrollment: 36 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 40 to 60 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Both male and female
• ACA stroke
• Ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke
• MMSE grade >24
• Spasticity at modified Ashworth scale between 1 and 2
• Modified Rankin scale 4

Exclusion criteria

• Any orthopedic impairment of lower extremity like LLD, fractures, dislocations, amputations, deformity of joint
• Any other neurological condition (multiple sclerosis, Parkinson disease, SCI)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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36 participants in 2 patient groups

PNF Group

Active Comparator group

Description:

For the PNF intervention, we applied a lower extremity hip extension-abduction-internal rotation with knee extension pattern, together with the rhythmic initiation of a repeated stretch and a combination of isotonic techniques. By this we'll target rectus femoris, medial gastrocnemius, lateral gastrocnemius, biceps femoris and semitendinosus musculature of the patient. The session will be given in 2 sets of 5 repetitions with rest of 45 seconds

Treatment:

Other: PNF

Mirror Therapy Group

Other group

Description:

Mirror treatment is a sort of motor imagery in which the patient exercises his unaffected limb while looking at himself in the mirror. It involves placing the affected limb behind a mirror. The mirror is positioned so the reflection of the opposing limb appears in place of the hidden limb. The patient then looks into the mirror on the side with unaffected limb and makes "mirror symmetric" movement. It will implemented for about 30 minutes with 2, 2 minutes rest in between. Patient will perform as many repetitions as they could of knee flexion \& extension, ankle dorsiflexion \& plantarflexion and functional tasks (rolling the foot over the roller, reaching would be accomplished by asking the patient to reach towards objects through his leg e.g. touching the feet to a certain object at a particular height and distance, cycling) depending on patient's ability to do so.

Treatment:

Other: PNF