Mirror Therapy in Older Adults Post-stroke

Objective: The present work was carried out to determine the effectiveness of neuromuscular stimulation triggered by mirror therapy in older patients with post-stroke hemiplegia by two different intervention protocols, either intensively or spaced over time. Design: Prospective longitudinal study Setting: Two Spanish rehabilitation centres. Participants: forty four aging patients (\>70 y) with diagnosed post-stroke hemiplegia were randomly distributed to intensive intervention group (5 times/week for 6 weeks), or to spaced intervention group (3 times/week for 10 weeks) which were underwent to similar number of mirror therapy sessions (n=30). Main outcome measures: Muscle strength and activity was measured at baseline and at the end of treatment. Functional ability was also evaluated.