Mirror therapy in the motor recovery of upper extremities

It is well known that the adult nervous system preserves a plasti- city potential that is able to guarantee partial recovery after an injury. It has also already been demonstrated that mirror-neurons play a key role in the activity of human neural circuits, i.e. in the observation-imitation-learning process. A new therapeutic rehabilita- tion treatment called mirror therapy exploits the mirror-neurons system activation, trying to lead the nervous system plasticity. In the present study, mirror therapy combined with conventional therapy has been compared with conventional therapy alone in the motor recovery of the upper limbs. A total of 14 patients with brain injuries in a sub-acute or chronic phase participated in the trial, divi- ded into two equal groups. Before and after the rehabilitation pro- gram, each patient underwent examination and complete physiatric evaluation (Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Functional Inde- pendence Measure (FIM), Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS)). After 4 weeks, the subjects treated with the mirror therapy combi- nation showed a slightly lower grade of spasticity, an improvement in the motor ability of the arms and in the general posture, and a greater autonomy. As compared with the traditional rehabilitation techniques, mirror therapy may offer an additional effective strategy promoting recovery from brain injuries.