Development of a Device for Mirror Therapy

Abstract

Previous research on the interconnections between brain activity and actions had led to the discovery of mirror neurons, neurons that have two particularly important roles: they mediate the imitation of movements based on visual information, and they underlie the understanding of actions. Mirror therapy is a relatively new, non-invasive therapy based on the use of visual feedback in recovery. Since 1996, it has been introduced in medical rehabilitation programmes, targeting conditions such as: hemiplegia after stroke, gait recovery after stroke, improvement of finger coordination in Parkinson's patients, reduction of phantom limb pain after amputations, and chronic pain from hand osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and complex regional pain syndrome. The device that is the subject of the present work presents a new constructive variant of the mirror box, which offers a much more efficient method of applying mirror therapy in various conditions, both at the level of the upper and lower limbs. The results of two assessments on the effectiveness of visual stimulation in recovery, carried out with the help of this device, first on the recovery of the hand functionality in subjects with hemiparesis after ischemic stroke and second assessment in the treatment of chronic pain of subjects with hand osteoarthritis will also be presented. Keywords: mirror therapy, visual feedback, neuroplasticity, kinesthetic memory, stroke, phantom limb pain