Abstract: OBJECTIVE: This study was to investigate the effects of
Mirror Therapy (MT) combined with Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation
(NMES) on muscle strength and tone, motor function, balance, and gait
ability in stroke survivors with hemiplegia. METHODS: This study was a randomized controlled trial. Twenty-seven
hemiplegic stroke survivors from a rehabilitation center participated in the
study. The participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental or
a control group. The experimental group (n = 14) underwent MT combined
with NMES and conventional physical therapy, and the control group (n =
13) underwent conventional physical therapy alone. Muscle strength and tone,
balance, and gait ability were examined at baseline and after 4 weeks of
intervention. A hand-held dynamometer was used to assess muscle strength,
the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) was used to assess muscle tone, the Berg
Balance Scale (BBS) and Timed Up and Go test (TUG) were used to ascertain
balance, and the 6-m Walk Test (6mWT) was used to examine gait ability. RESULTS: After the intervention, compared to baseline values, there
were significant improvements in muscle strength and MAS, BBS, TUG, and 6mWT
values in the experimental group (P< 0.05). In addition, at
post-intervention, there were significant differences between the two groups
in muscle strength and BBS (P< 0.05). CONCLUSION: MT combined with NMES may effectively improve muscle
strength and balance in hemiplegic stroke survivors. However, further
studies are necessary to demonstrate brain reorganization after MT combined
with NMES.
