Effects of mirror therapy on the reacquisition of motor imagery in patients with a hand orthopaedic injury

AbstractBackground: On commencing occupational therapy (OT), some patients with hand orthopaedic injury complain of not knowing how to move an affected finger. Aim/Objective: We report a patient who did not know how to move his finger on commencing OT after an operation for a metacarpal fracture of the left thumb. Material and Method: The patient had a swollen left thumb and moderate limited joint range of motion. Occupational therapy included training for finger joint range of motion and a dynamic splint. Mirror therapy (MT) was initiated on the first day of OT, and both procedures were administered as described in previous studies. Results/Findings: After MT, he reacquired motor imagery during the early phase of OT. After OT, the patient’s left thumb regained normal range of motion and his complaint of “unsure of how to move fingers” resolved. Cerebral blood flow during MT was measured by using functional near-infrared spectroscopy for the reference. Cerebral blood flow was increased in the primary sens...