Effects of mirror therapy on muscle activity, muscle tone, pain, and function in patients with mutilating injuries: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: This study assessed the effectiveness of mirror therapy (MT) on muscle elasticity, pain, and function in patients with mutilating injuries. METHODS: Thirty patients with impaired function due to mutilating injuries were assigned randomly to experimental or control group. The experimental group (n = 15) received MT (30 minutes a day, 3 days a week for 4 weeks) and conventional physical therapy after each MT session while the control group (n = 15) only received conventional physical therapy. RESULTS: There were significant differences in pain and hand function within each group (pre-intervention vs post-intervention) and between groups (experimental vs control) (P < .05). However, there was no significant difference in muscle elasticity between groups (P > .05). CONCLUSION: Although MT cannot result in significant changes in muscle elasticity in a clinical setting, it does have positive effects by reducing pain and improving hand function. Thus, MT can be effective for patients with impaired function due to mutilating injuries.