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pp.48-58
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of mirror therapy on motor function recovery following a stroke through a systemic review and meta-analysis. In total, nine of the 48 studies were identified from search engines between 1997 and 2011, as well as from a review of the reference lists of each identified study. The quality of each study was assessed using Jadad scale, and the effect size was calculated as a Cohen's effect size using MetaAnalyst (Beta 3.13). The overall effect size of the mirror therapy was 2.005 (95% confidence interval=1.041~2.970) in a random-effects model. This finding suggests that mirror therapy is beneficial for improving motor function following a stroke. The results from the subgroup analysis according to categorical variables were as follows: First, the effect size was larger for an onset time of less than 1 year (1.166) than for a duration of 1 year or more (.668). Second, the effect size of unpublished dissertations (1.610) was larger than published articles (1.221). Third, motor recovery of upper extremities (1.609) had a greater effect than motor recovery of lower extremities (.903). The major limitation of this study is the relatively small study population. Therefore, further individual studies of mirror therapy should be conducted in order to generalize the effects. In addition, mirror therapy supervised by a physical therapist should be recognized as a potential approach to manage motor function following a stroke and recommended to patients to improve their motor function.
