Impact of Adapted Mirror Therapy on Individuals With Hemiparesis of the Upper Limb Following a Stroke

The Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity was used to evaluate the patient's upper limb function and motor control. It included the assessment of movements in the shoulder, elbow joint, wrist, and fingers. During the assessment, the assessor observed and recorded the patient's abilities and limitations in specific actions. Based on the patient's performance in each sub-item, the assessor assigned a score using a 0-2 scale, a score of 0 indicating inability to perform, 1 indicating partial ability, and 2 indicating full ability. Finally, the scores for each sub-item were summed up to obtain an overall upper limb function score of 0-66, with scores positively correlated with the upper limb function.

The surface electromyography (sEMG) was used to assess the coordinated contraction rates of the biceps brachii on the affected upper limb. The surface electromyography device was used for detection, with the most prominent part of muscle belly of the biceps brachii serving as the monitoring points. During the maximum isometric voluntary contraction (MIVC) state of elbow flexion or extension, two channels were used to separately record the integrated electromyographic values (iEMG) of the biceps brachii, and the antagonists. Measurements were taken three times to obtain the maximum value, and the coordinated contraction rate (CR) during elbow flexion or extension under MIVC conditions was calculated using the formula: CR (%) = Antagonist muscle iEMG / (Agonist muscle iEMG + Antagonist muscle iEMG).

the pain level of the affected shoulder was measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), with 0 indicating no pain and 10 indicating unbearable severe pain. The lower score indicated the lighter pain.

The anxiety was assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), including items related to fear, worry, attention, etc. The total score ranged from 0 to 21, which was positively correlated with potential anxiety. In the previous study, the GAD-7 scale demonstrated a Cronbach's α-coefficient of 0.879. The scores range from 0 to 21. The higher scores mean a worse outcome.

The depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), with aspects including mood swings, optimism, sleep quality, appetite, etc. The total score of PHQ-9 ranged from 0 to 27, which was positively correlated with potential depression. In the previous study, the PHQ-9 scale demonstrated a Cronbach's α-coefficient of 0.913.The scores range from 0 to 27.The higher scores mean a worse outcome.