Affiliations: [a] Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland | [b] School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia | [c] Division of Social and Health Sciences - Psychology, Abertay University, Dundee, UK | [d] Department of Rheumatology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Triemli City Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Luzia Grabherr, School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, City East Campus, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia. Tel.: +61 8 8302 1295; luzia.grabherr@unisa.edu.au
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: In healthy participants, beneficial effects of motor imagery training on movement execution have been shown for precision, strength, and speed. In the clinical context, it is still debated whether motor imagery provides an effective rehabilitation technique in patients with motor deficits.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of two different types of movement training: motor imagery vs. motor execution.
METHODS: Twenty-five patients with hemiparesis were assigned to one of two training groups: the imagery or the execution-training group. Both groups completed a baseline test before they received six training sessions, each of which was followed by a test session. Using a novel and precisely quantifiable test, we assessed how accurately patients performed an upper limb movement.
RESULTS: Both training groups improved performance over the six test sessions but the improvement was significantly larger in the imagery group. That is, the imagery group was able to perform more precise movements than the execution group after the sixth training session while there was no difference at the beginning of the training.
CONCLUSIONS: The results provide evidence for the benefit of motor imagery training in patients with hemiparesis and thus suggest the integration of cognitive training in conventional physiotherapy practice.
