AOTA

Presenter:

Cora Finley, OTD, OTR/L

Brookline, MA

Contributors:

Nakisha Gutierrez, OTD, OTR/L

Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Rehabilitation.

Mary Hildebrand, OTD, OTR/L

School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions (MGH IHP).

Earn: .1 CEU's (1.25 NBCOT PDU's/1 Contact Hours)

Are you looking for new, evidence informed, occupation centered and inexpensive interventions for your clients with hemiparesis? This course may be just what you need?

Every year about 800,000 people in the United States experience a stroke, a leading cause of serious long-term disability in the United States. Many individuals who have had a stroke experience limited engagement and participation in all areas of occupation due to residual upper extremity weakness.

While there are numerous interventions to treat hemiparesis, many are expensive and difficult to replicate in a facility or at home. The feasibility and accessibility to interventions including electrical stimulation, robot assisted technology, and virtual reality immersion can be extremely challenging and unrealistic for many stroke survivors.

In the 1990s, Dr. V.S. Ramachandran developed mirror therapy for the treatment of phantom limb pain in individuals with an upper extremity amputation. Mirror therapy is a non-pharmacological and evidence-based intervention based on the theory that visual illusions and ‘virtual realities’ can activate areas in the cerebral hemisphere, through brain plasticity.

This course provides the background, evidence and protocol for mirror therapy that can be used in all settings and across the age span.

Learning Objectives:

Following the completion of this course, practitioners will:

1) Understand the physiological principles underlying mirror therapy (MT)

2) Summarize the effectiveness of MT related to improvement in motor function

3) Identify conditions for which MT is appropriate

4) Describe a MT protocol to be used with clients