Mirror Therapy and Augmented Reality in Stroke Rehabilitation
Trial Parameters
Brief Summary
This research is in line with the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) Innovative Research Grant priority to address innovative treatment strategies for neurological disorders that are in desperate need of scientific scrutiny. Stroke is one of the major medical conditions that leads to long-term disability and causes a heavy health care and financial burden. To meet multidimensional needs of patients with stroke, hybrid interventions that combine different approaches are needed due to the complexity of stroke. Our previous research funded by the NHRI has been published and translated to stroke rehabilitation, particularly in the priming and synergic effects of robotic-assisted training and/or mirror therapy (MT). To extend from our previous research, the investigators will combine MT with augmented reality (AR), an emerging adjunct therapy in stroke rehabilitation. An AR-based intervention provides an intensive, repetitive, and context-rich training program, leading to an interesting environment with real-time feedback to increase motivation and participation.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria: 1. a first-ever unilateral stroke ≥3 months and ≤3 years 2. age between 30 and 80 years (Kwakkel et al., 1999) 3. baseline Fugl-Meyer Assessment Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) score \>10 (Fugl-Meyer et al., 1975) 4. no severe spasticity in any joints of the affected arm (modified Ashworth scale \<3) (Charalambous, 2014) 5. ability to follow the instructions of the evaluator and therapists 6. the ability to maintain a step-standing position for at least 30 seconds (Lloréns et al., 2015) 7. ability to walk a minimum of 10 meters, with or without a device (Park et al., 2017) 8. no severe vision impairments or other major neurologic diseases 9. no participation in other studies during the study period 10. willingness to provide informed written consent. Exclusion Criteria: 1. acute inflammation 2. serious medical problems or poor physical conditions that might be detrimental to study participation.