The effect of motor imagery therapy on lower extremity function in stroke patients with hemiplegia / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the effect of motor imagery therapy combined with conventional physical training on hemiplegia lower extremity function in stroke patients with hemiplegia.Methods Thirty hemiplegic patients meeting the eligible criterions were randomly divided into two groups a treatment group (n = 13 ) and a control group ( n = 17).All subjects accepted conventional rehabilitative treatment.Patients in treatment group were treated with motor imagery therapy after physical training, while the patients in control group were treated with physical training only.Motor function was measured by the percentages of changes in maximum loading on affected lower limb (PL%), Barthel index (BI), 5m maximum back and forth walking speed (5m MBFWS), Berg balance scale ( BBS), Fugl-Meyer motor assessment ( lower limb) (FMA-L) before the beginning of training and at the end of sixweek training.Results In both groups, all measurements at the end of training improved significantly ( P < 0.01 )compared to that at the beginning of training.After the whole training course, PL% and 5m MBFWS (m/s) in treatment group were significantly better compared to those in control group( P < 0.05 ), and the other measurements were not statistically significant between two groups( P > 0.05 ).Conclusion Motor imagery therapy had positive effect on hemiplegia lower extremity function of sub-acute stroke patients.