Effect of Mental Imagery on Lower Limb Functions in Stroke
Condition: Stroke
MeSH terms: Stroke
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study aims to compare the effects of mental imagery and virtual reality training with
      virtual reality alone on lower limb functional status of stroke patients. The study will be a
      randomized controlled trial. After the initial evaluation randomization will be done on
      participants lying under the eligibility criteria. Randomized participants will be allocated
      to Control & Experimental groups. Mental imagery (Audiotape recordings of some specific tasks
      for lower limb functions) with Virtual reality training given to experimental group while
      Virtual reality training alone to Control group. Task oriented training for balance & gait as
      baseline treatment will be given to each group.
    

Detailed description: 
      Stroke causes inability to perform activities with affected limbs among which difficulty in
      walking and doing house chores are the most common dysfunctions. Stroke highly affects the
      productivity of people in family as well as in community. It also adds financial burden on
      families of patients. There are number of different restorative techniques and therapeutic
      approaches for the rehabilitation of stroke patients. For example, bobath approach,
      constrained induced movement therapy, mirror therapy, electrical stimulations, Circuit
      training, resistance training, Motor relearning program, proprioceptive neuromuscular
      facilitation, body weight supported treadmill for walking, Frenkel's exercises, repetitive
      task specific training, electromyography biofeedback and many others. All these approaches
      mainly focused on the repetition of tasks to perform a specific function, as the
      neuroplasticity requires repetition to occur. But there is a lack of interest, motivation and
      attention of stroke patients to perform similar tasks repeatedly. The lack of active
      participation directly or indirectly affects the neural stimulation and neural plasticity.
      One of the most emerging techniques in these days is Mental Imagery. Mental imagery(MI) is "a
      training method where imagination of movements, without actually moving, is used with the
      intention of improving motor performance" Currently Mental imagery has been used for neuro
      rehabilitation as it activates the same brain areas required for planning and execution of
      movements more or less in the same way require for actual performance of that movement. In
      this study the combination for Mental imagery and virtual reality is used for participation
      of patients in rehabilitation program which in turn increases the neural stimulation and
      causes neural plasticity to improve the motor performance. By increasing the functional
      activity, their ADL's can be improved to help them in becoming the active member of the
      society.
    

Intervention name(s): Mental Imagery with Virtual Reality Training; Virtual Reality Training
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): Mental Imagery TASK Practice with Virtual Reality Training: 30-40 minutes treatment sessions will be performed three times a week for six weeks, Part 1: 2-3 minutes of relaxation Part 2: Visual Imagery (external motor imagery training) for 5-8 minutes Part 3: Actual Task Practice for 10 minutes Part 4: Virtual Reality based training (including games for lower limb functions) for 10 minutes Part 5:Task Oriented training for 10 minutes Tasks for both (mental imagery + actual task practice) will be: Sit-stand task, Static stance (30 seconds), Indoor walk on a leveled surface, Walk indoor towards target, Forward / Side Stepping, Walking outdoors; Virtual Reality Training: 30-40 minutes treatment sessions will be performed three times a week for six weeks. Games will include River rush, 20000 water leaks, reflex ridge along with task oriented training. Tasks will be: Sit-stand task, Static stance (30 seconds), Indoor walk on a leveled surface, Walk indoor towards target, Forward / Side Stepping, Walking outdoors
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Lower limb; Impairment; Mental practice; Virtual Reality training