Patients, a total of 57, in this prospective controlled and randomized trial were randomized during the sub-acute phase post-stroke to either a priming group, who received a device-assisted mirror symmetric bimanual movements every weekday for 4 weeks, or a control group, who received intermittent cutaneous electrical stimulation of the paretic forearm for the same period of time. Assessment at 6, 12, and 26 weeks, measured with the Action Research Arm Test showed that the priming group were 3 times more likely than controls to achieve their recovery plateau by 12 weeks. Also, primed participants had greater re-balancing of cortico-motor excitability than controls at 12 and 26 weeks and inter-hemispheric inhibition at 26 weeks. In short, this trial suggests that patients who receive bilateral priming using device-assisted mirror symmetric bimanual movements have a faster recovery of upper extremity function in the initial weeks post-stroke, which will lead to a better chance of living independently. This is yet to be proven by larger scale randomized trials.
Mirror, mirror on the wall, is priming helping stroke patients to recover faster?
Patients, a total of 57, in this prospective controlled and randomized trial were randomized during the sub-acute phase post-stroke to either a priming group, who received a device-assisted mirror symmetric bimanual movements every weekday for 4 weeks, or a control group, who received intermittent cutaneous electrical stimulation of the paretic forearm for the same period of time. Assessment at 6, 12, and 26 weeks, measured with the Action Research Arm Test showed that the priming group were 3 times more likely than controls to achieve their recovery plateau by 12 weeks. Also, primed participants had greater re-balancing of cortico-motor excitability than controls at 12 and 26 weeks and inter-hemispheric inhibition at 26 weeks. In short, this trial suggests that patients who receive bilateral priming using device-assisted mirror symmetric bimanual movements have a faster recovery of upper extremity function in the initial weeks post-stroke, which will lead to a better chance of living independently. This is yet to be proven by larger scale randomized trials.
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