Mirror Therapy in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I

University Hospital, Motol27 enrolled

Overview

The aim is to evaluate the efficacy of Mirror Therapy on pain reduction and hand function in subjects with unilateral upper extremity Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I.

Subjects were randomly divided into two groups. Group A carried out a ten-minute Mirror Therapy exercise daily, for a total duration of six weeks. Group B acted as a control group for six weeks followed by six weeks of Mirror Therapy with the same characteristics as Group A. Upper extremity active range of motion, strength, dexterity, limb volume, right-left temperature difference, and health-related quality of life were evaluated before and after each period. Daily records on the visual analogue scale were used for pain evaluation. Effectiveness was calculated using mixed-effects modelling for between-group comparisons and within-group variability and identifying significant predictors.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I

Interventions

Mirror Therapy exerciseOTHER

Mirror Therapy for the upper limb involves the use of a mirror to create a reflected image of the unaffected arm, making it appear as if both arms are moving symmetrically. During the therapy, the patient places their affected arm behind the mirror and their unaffected arm in front. While focusing on the mirror reflection, the patient performs various movements with the unaffected arm, giving the illusion that the affected arm is moving normally.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 80 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: \- diagnosis of CRPS I based on the Budapest criteria Exclusion Criteria: * failure to meet the diagnostic Budapest clinical criteria for CRPS I * previous use of Mirror Therapy prior to the commencement of this study * substantial difficulties in cooperation * a significant change to the subjects' treatment regimen, outside of the study design

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Pain perception

The participants in both groups made daily accounts of their pain level using 10 cm long visual analog scale (VAS) at rest as well as typical pain level during hand movement.

Time frame: Recordings performed every day from day 0 to day 42 (Group A) and from day 0 to day 84 (Group B); Follow-up on day 72 (Group A) and day 114 (Group B).

Active Range of Motion

Three attributes were measured: maximal active range of wrist flexion and extension (°) determined with goniometer measuring the angle between forearm and metacarpal bones