Effects of motor imagery therapy on function of upper extremity in stroke patients

Objective To study the effects of motor imagery therapy on functional performance of upper ex- tremity in stroke patients.Methods Sixty cases of stroke were divided into a treatment group(n=30) and a con- trol group(n=30).The control group was treated with routine rehabilitation training,while the treatment group was treated with motor imagery therapy in addition to the routine rehabilitation training.The Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA),upper extremity function test(UEFT)and simple test for evaluating hand function(STEF)were used to as- sess the upper extremity function before and after six months of treatment.Results After treatment,patients in both groups scored significantly better with the FMA scales,UEFT scales and STEF scales when compared to their scores obtained before the treatment(P0.05),and the treatment group scored significantly better with UEFT scales and STEF scales than the control group(P0.05).Conclusion Motor imagery and rehabilitation training can ef- fectively improve the functional performance of the upper extremity in stroke patients.