THE IMPACT OF STRETCHING EXERCISES WITH MIRROR THERAPY ON UPPER LIMB MOTOR FUNCTION AMONG PATIENTS WITH STROKE

Abstract Background: Stroke is one of the most common and overwhelming disorders that remains the second-leading cause of death and the third-leading cause of death and disability, with approximately 80% of stroke survivors have upper limb motor impairment. Stretching exercises and mirror therapy are a vital aspect of rehabilitation for improving motor recovery and preventing complications. Aim: was to evaluate the impact of stretching exercises with mirror therapy on upper limb motor function among patients with stroke. Research design: A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest, nonequivalent control group design was used. Sample: 60 adult male and female patients with a confirmed diagnosis of stroke for the first time were enrolled. Tools: In the current study three tools were used, I. Personal and Medical Data Form (PMDF); II. Fugl-Meyer Assessment of the Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) and III. Glasgow Coma scale (GCS). Results: At baseline, pre-intervention showed no statistically significant differences between the study group and control group with regards all study variables. While, there is statistically significant difference with higher FMA-UE mean score between the study group and control group through intervention period; after two weeks (35.03 ± 7.53,17.00 ± 6.02), after four weeks (50.17 ± 8.82, 26.53 ± 7.32) and after eight weeks (58.50 ± 6.74, 36.33 ± 8.24) respectively. Conclusion: The combination of stretching exercises with mirror therapy significantly improved upper limb motor function. Recommendation: Replicate the study to assess effect of the intervention in other stroke stage.