Motor Imagery Practice in Neurological Rehabilitation

Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust50 enrolled

Overview

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?

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Stroke Brain Injury Multiple Sclerosis

Interventions

Motor imagery practiceBEHAVIORAL

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.

Standard physiotherapy and occupational therapyOTHER

Patients with neurological disease or damage will receive standard physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

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)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Goal Attainment Scaling

Time frame: After 6 and 12 weeks

Secondary Outcomes

Motor imagery questionnaire

Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks

Timed up and go

Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks

Action research arm test

Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks

Motor Imagery Practice in Neurological Rehabilitation

Overview

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Locations (1)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes