ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. Motor imagery (MI) has been proposed as a treatment to improve gait, fatigue and quality of life in these dysfunctions. AIM: To assess the effectiveness of MI, action observation therapy or mirror therapy approaches compared to other rehabilitation modality or no intervention, in MS. DEVELOPMENT: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials was conducted. Studies published in the last ten years investigating MI versus other interventions or no intervention in patients with MS were included. PEDro scale was used to assess methodological quality of included studies. Eight studies met the eligibility criteria. For fatigue, the MI and its combination with relaxation seem to be superior compared with other types of interventions or no intervention. The MI combined with music also showed significant improvements in gait and quality of life (QoL). CONCLUSIONS: MI and its combination with relaxation exercises have been shown to be effective in the treatment of fatigue, gait, balance, depression and QoL in patients with MS. The action observation therapy is useful in upper limb rehabilitation and improvement in attention, executive control and activation of sensorimotor networks. Further research with high methodological quality is needed to support these findings and to evaluate their effectiveness in long term.
TITLE: Eficacia de la imagen motora en la esclerosis múltiple: revisión sistemática.Introducción. La esclerosis múltiple (EM) es una enfermedad inflamatoria desmielinizante del sistema nervioso central. Se ha propuesto la imagen motora (IM) como tratamiento para mejorar la marcha, la fatiga y la calidad de vida en esta patología. Objetivo. Evaluar la eficacia del abordaje mediante IM, terapia de observación de acciones (AOT) o terapia en espejo, en comparación con una modalidad diferente de rehabilitación o la no intervención en la EM. Desarrollo. Se realizó una revisión sistemática de ensayos controlados aleatorizados. Se incluyeron estudios de los últimos 10 años que comparasen la IM frente a otras intervenciones o la no intervención en pacientes con EM. Se utilizó la escala PEDro para evaluar la calidad metodológica de los estudios incluidos. Ocho estudios cumplieron los criterios de elegibilidad. Para la fatiga, la IM y su combinación con la relajación parecen ser superiores en comparación con otros tratamientos o la no intervención. La IM combinada con música también mostró mejoras significativas en la marcha y en la calidad de vida. Conclusiones. La IM combinada con ejercicios de relajación ha demostrado eficacia en el tratamiento de la fatiga, la marcha, el equilibrio, la depresión y la calidad de vida en personas con EM. La AOT resulta útil en la rehabilitación del miembro superior y en la mejora de la atención, el control ejecutivo y la activación de las redes sensoriomotoras. Son necesarios estudios de mayor calidad metodológica que respalden estos resultados y valoren su efectividad a largo plazo.
Subject(s)
Imagery, Psychotherapy/methods , Multiple Sclerosis/therapy , Humans , Movement , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Non-pharmacological treatments help control tension-type headache; however, evidence about their effectiveness is still limited. This study evaluates the effectiveness of physical therapy based on cervical spine kinesiotherapy and posture correction exercises compared to a programme of relaxation techniques only (Schultz's Autogenic Training, AT). METHODS: Tension-type headache is very common among university students. We randomly selected 152 university students with a diagnosis of tension-type headache according to the criteria of the International Headache Society. Eighty-four were women (55.3%) and 68 were men (44.7%). Mean age was 20.42±2.36 years. The study design is a randomised controlled trial of a non-pharmacological intervention with a blinded evaluation of response variables. We compared the results of two independent samples: AT was used in one of the groups while the other group received AT plus cervical spine kinesiotherapy and posture correction training. Patients recorded any changes in the parameters of pain (frequency, intensity, and duration) and drug consumption in a headache diary before treatment, at 4 weeks, and at 3 months. RESULTS: Both interventions achieved a decrease in all the parameters of pain; however, decreases in frequency and intensity were more significant in the combined treatment group (P<0.01) (d=0.4). CONCLUSIONS: Such active, non-invasive therapies as AT and cervical spine kinesiotherapy, and especially the combination of both, effectively reduce tension-type headache by preventing and managing the potential psychophysical causes of this disorder. Future research should aim to assess the long-term effects of these interventions.
