The Effectiveness of Movement Training with Mirror Therapy Approach on Gait of Subacute and Chronic Stroke Patients

Introduction: Stroke is a long-term lesion and one of the major causes of adult disability. Motor disorders are the most common clinical symptoms of stroke that disrupt patientschr('39') daily activities. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of mirror therapy on gait in subacute and chronic stroke patients. Methods: The present study was a quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test design. The statistical population consisted of subacute and chronic stroke patients referred to Tehran Tabasom Clinic, among whom 15 subacute and 15 chronic patients were voluntarily selected and participated in the study after completing written consent. Subjects in both groups before and after eight weeks of training participated in gait assessment and intervention tool (GAIT). The training program was similar in the two groups and consisting of eight weeks each week, two sessions each session 90 minutes included 60 minutes of routine rehabilitation and 30 minutes of mirror therapy. Data were analyzed by paired t-test, independent t-test, and covariance analysis with SPSS.23 software at the error level of 0.05. Results: The mean pre-test score of abnormal GAIT in the subacute group was 20, which decreased to 14 in the post-test, indicating a considerable improvement in their GAIT performance and in the chronic group, the mean pre-test score decreased from 22 to 20 in the post-test. The Results showed that there was a significant difference between pre-test and post-test of gait in each subacute and chronic group (p = 0.001). There was also a significant difference in post-test of gait between subacute and chronic groups (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Mirror therapy at the subacute phase had more effect on gait than the chronic phase. Therefore, it is recommended to use mirror therapy in the subacute phase after stroke.