Brain Injury, Multiple Sclerosis, Stroke
Conditions
Brief summary
Motor imagery is a technique widely used in learning skills. Its effectiveness has been proven in various sports and in musicians. A recent review (Braun et al. 2006) suggested that this technique may also be effective in rehabilitation of patients with neurological disease or damage, but that further research was needed. The main purpose of this research is to discover whether motor imagery practice is beneficial in the rehabilitation of skills in patients who have some disability due to neurological disease or damage. The principal research question is: are physiotherapy and occupational therapy given incorporating motor imagery more effective than standard care (i.e., the same therapies but without integrated motor imagery) in re-training task specific performance for patients with neurological disease or damage?
Interventions
BEHAVIORALMotor imagery practice
During motor imagery practice a person imagines performing a skill or movement with all its sensory consequences without actually moving. In this study the therapists follow a motor imagery guideline designed for rehabilitation of skills and movement performance in subjects with neurological disease or damage. The guideline offers therapists structure and a strategy to deliver subject-specific imagery. The guideline is based on three major frameworks, namely; principles of motor learning, phased process of human movement and a training guide for sports coaches and performers from the National Coaching Foundation.
OTHERStandard physiotherapy and occupational therapy
Patients with neurological disease or damage will receive standard physiotherapy and occupational therapy.
Sponsors
Oxford Brookes University
Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Participating in a rehabilitation program for problems arising secondary to disease or damage affecting the central nervous system (usually stroke, brain injury, multiple sclerosis) * Over 18 years of age * Have sufficient language and memory skills to undertake the intervention (i.e. score positive on the first three items of the Sheffield screening test)
Exclusion criteria
* Any co-morbidity that would interfere with the ability to perform imagery as judged by the clinician or from the medical notes (e.g., schizophrenia)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Goal Attainment Scaling | After 6 and 12 weeks |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Motor imagery questionnaire | Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks |
| Timed up and go | Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks |
| Action research arm test | Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed