Clinical trial NCT02778087: Mirror Therapy After Stroke: A Dosing Study
Official title: Self-directed Box (Mirror) Therapy After Stroke: A Dosing Study
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: TERMINATED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Stroke
Keywords: motor recovery
mirror therapy
upper extremity
Lead sponsor: Columbia University
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Helen Hayes Hospital
First posted: 2016-05-19
Enrollment: 8
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 99
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: It has been suggested that augmenting repetitive task practice with the use of box (mirror) therapy (BT) can enhance the benefits of task practice and may provide stroke survivors an opportunity to engage in self-directed practice outside of normally scheduled therapy sessions. However, the dosage of BT to be used in clinical practice is unclear. In order for practitioners to begin integrating BT into clinical practice situations more information is needed to determine what defines a therapeutic dose. The aim of this study is to differentiate between two dosages of self-directed BT added to treatment as usual for decreasing arm and hand motor impairments, improving activity level, and increasing self-directed participation after stroke. Forty-five subjects from the Stroke Rehabilitation Unit at Helen Hayes Hospital (HHH) will be randomly assigned into three groups: treatment as usual plus 30 minute dosage of self-directed BT 5x/week; treatment as usual plus 60 minute dosage of self-directed BT 5x/week; treatment as usual plus 30 minutes of self-directed sham BT 5x/week.

Detailed description: Approximately 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke each year, and stroke is considered a leading cause of long-term disability. Impairments in arm and hand function are common after stroke and limit engagement in daily life activities, which impacts the overall quality of life of stroke survivors. It has been found that incomplete upper limb recovery predicted health related quality of life in stroke survivors at one year post-stroke in four (self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, \& anxiety/depression) out of five domains measured on the EuroQol-5D questionnaire. Thus, evidence-based interventions that improve arm and hand function after stroke are needed. In fact, a recent study identified "treatments for upper extremity recovery" to be one of the top ten research priorities relating to life after stroke according to stroke survivors, caregivers, and health professionals. Evidence suggests task-oriented training interventions such as Repetitive Task Practice (RTP) are effective at improving upper extremity (UE) function and activity, and therapy participation in stroke survivors.

Recently, it has been suggested that augmenting RTP with the use of cognitive strategies, such as Mirror Box Therapy (BT), can enhance the benefits of task practice and may provide stroke survivors an opportunity to engage in self-directed practice outside of normally scheduled therapy sessions. During BT, a person engages in motor activities with the unimpaired limb while watching its mirror reflection superimposed over the (unseen) impaired limb; this process creates a visual illusion whereby activities performed by the unimpaired limb are attributed to the impaired limb. While generating this visual illusion is a common ingredient in published BT effectiveness trials, the actual treatment protocols differ considerably. One important protocol difference seen across published trials relates to the dosage of BT. For instance, the minutes of BT provided range from 10 minutes to 60 minutes per session; session frequencies range from 1 to 7 sessions per week, and the length of the intervention ranges from 3 to 6 weeks. Thus, the dosage of BT to be used in clinical practice is unclear. In order for practitioners to begin integrating BT into clinical practice more information is needed on the effective dosage, as this may vary according to multiple factors (e.g., stage of recovery, the survivor's current functional limitations, or environment in which services are rendered).

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Adults status post ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke between the ages 18-85, receiving inpatient rehabilitation
* Using the impaired arm, ability to lift and release a wash cloth off a table with any means of prehension in either the sitting or standing positions
* A score \> 21/30 on the Mini-Mental State Exam
* Ability to consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Serious visual or visual-perceptual deficits, neuropsychological impairments, or orthopedic conditions that would prevent participation in the BT protocol as determined by the treatment team
* Involvement in another study protocol related to motor function after stroke
* Anticipated length of stay less than two weeks
* More than six months post stroke

Primary outcomes:
measure: Score on Action Research Arm Test:
timeFrame: pre and post intervention up to 12 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Score on Stroke Impact Scale
timeFrame: pre and post intervention up to 12 months
measure: Score on Functional Independence Measure
timeFrame: pre and post intervention up to 12 months
measure: Score on Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Motor Recovery after Stroke (arm/hand section)
timeFrame: pre and post intervention up to 12 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: West Haverstraw
country: United States
facility: Helen Hayes Hospital (Stroke Unit)
state: New York
Study officials:
affiliation: Columbia University
name: Glen Gillen, EdD, OTR
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: Helen Hayes Hospital
name: Steven W. Lichtman, EdD
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
References:
citation: Nilsen DM, Gillen G, Geller D, Hreha K, Osei E, Saleem GT. Effectiveness of interventions to improve occupational performance of people with motor impairments after stroke: an evidence-based review. Am J Occup Ther. 2015 Jan-Feb;69(1):6901180030p1-9. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2015.011965.
citation: Nilsen DM, DiRusso T. Using mirror therapy in the home environment: a case report. Am J Occup Ther. 2014 May-Jun;68(3):e84-9. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2014.010389.
citation: Thieme H, Mehrholz J, Pohl M, Behrens J, Dohle C. Mirror therapy for improving motor function after stroke. Stroke. 2013 Jan;44(1):e1-2. doi: 10.1161/strokeaha.112.673087.
citation: Thieme H, Mehrholz J, Pohl M, Behrens J, Dohle C. Mirror therapy for improving motor function after stroke. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Mar 14;2012(3):CD008449. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008449.pub2.
citation: Mozaffarian D, Benjamin EJ, Go AS, Arnett DK, Blaha MJ, Cushman M, de Ferranti S, Despres JP, Fullerton HJ, Howard VJ, Huffman MD, Judd SE, Kissela BM, Lackland DT, Lichtman JH, Lisabeth LD, Liu S, Mackey RH, Matchar DB, McGuire DK, Mohler ER 3rd, Moy CS, Muntner P, Mussolino ME, Nasir K, Neumar RW, Nichol G, Palaniappan L, Pandey DK, Reeves MJ, Rodriguez CJ, Sorlie PD, Stein J, Towfighi A, Turan TN, Virani SS, Willey JZ, Woo D, Yeh RW, Turner MB; American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Heart disease and stroke statistics--2015 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2015 Jan 27;131(4):e29-322. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000152. Epub 2014 Dec 17. No abstract available.