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Motor Imagery Training for Upper Limb Functional Strength in Chronic Stroke Patients

Motor Imagery Training for Upper Limb Functional Strength in Chronic Stroke Patients

Status
Recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06945185
Enrollment
26
Registered
2025-04-25
Start date
2024-09-10
Completion date
2025-05-30
Last updated
2025-04-25

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Chronic Stroke

Keywords

Motor Imagery, Stroke, Neurorehabilitation, Functional strength

Brief summary

Stroke is a leading cause of upper extremity deficits worldwide. Persistent upper extremity dysfunction affects many post stroke patients and is strongly associated with decreased activities of daily living and poor quality of life. There is accumulating evidence of a cross-over effect with training of one limb that slightly increase strength and coordination in contralateral untrained limb through neurological adaptations. One of rehabilitation that is beneficial for stroke patient is motor imagery, a mental rehearsal of a movement that does not include physical movement has been shown to enhance upper limb function. Evidence demonstrate that MI not only activates motor cortical and subcortical regions but also induces plastic change in motor networks and modulates synaptic activity at spinal level.

Detailed description

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study are: 1. To improve upper limb functional strength. 2. To improve the upper limb coordination. 3. To improve upper limb functional improvement. HYPOTHESIS Alternate Hypothesis: There will be statistically significant difference in effects of motor imagery technique combined with conventional physical therapy and in comparison to conventional physical therapy alone on upper limb functional strength, coordination and functional improvement in chronic stroke. (p\<0.05). Null Hypothesis: There will be no statistically significant difference in effects of motor imagery technique combined with conventional physical therapy and in comparison to conventional physical therapy alone on upper limb functional strength, coordination and functional improvement in chronic stroke. (p\>0.05). Research Design: Experimental study. Randomized Control Trial

Interventions

PROCEDUREIntervention Group A Conventional Physical Therapy

Active Range of Motion Exercises: (5-10 reps with 2 sets) Finger bends, finger spreads, finger to thumb opposition, thumb to palm stretches, palm up and down, wrist rotation, wrist bends, elbow bends, shoulder shrugging and shoulder rotation. Strengthening Exercises: (10-15 reps 2 sets weight 500 ml to 1L water bottle). Finger pinch, power grip, finger spread, pushing movement, wrist curls, roll and squeeze, bicep curls, side arm raise, lifting objects to a height, pulling resistance band. Coordination Exercises: (10-15 reps 2 sets) finger to finger, finger to doctor's finger, finger to nose, holding and lifting coins, buttoning, holding and lifting coins, alternate hand movement, closing and opening hand.

PROCEDUREIntervention Group B Motor Imagery with Conventional Physical Therapy

1. Subjects will be asked to sit comfortably on a chair with a backrest. A Quiet environment is ensured for proper concentration of subject .Take deep breaths for 2-3 min to relax. 2. Subjects will be asked to close their eyes and imagine the training scene for each task for 5 min while listening to the therapist 's voice describing the motion. 3. The non-paralysis part of the body's movement was imagined first and then the movement of the paralysis part was imagined. 4. Upon completion of the mental practice for the first activity, the subject will be given a comfortable break. Motor Imagery Training: Week 1-2: Approaching and holding a cup, turning book pages and grasping pencil to write. Week 3-4: wiping desk, turning door handle and drinking water from cup. Week 5-6: pressing light switch on and off, turning faucet and putting card in wallet. Week 7-8: folding towel, brushing teeth and brushing hair. Imagine for 30 sec 2-3 repetitions.

Sponsors

Foundation University Islamabad
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
45 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Stroke duration 6 months onwards (chronic stroke). * age 45 years and above. * Both genders. * Access cognitive function score \> 24 on MoCA.

Exclusion criteria

* Patients with any comorbidity, previous surgery and congenital anomly. * Patient with any fracture/ MSK disorders. * Score 3 or more on Modified Ashworth scale. * Patients with hearing impairments

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH8 weeksFUNCTONAL STRENGTH WILL BE ASSESSED USING WOLF MOTOR FUNCTION TEST
Coordination8 weeksThe Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) will be used to assess upper extremity performance

Countries

Pakistan

Contacts

Primary ContactAYESHA ASIF, DPT
ayesha97asif@gmail.com+92 316-5314207

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026