Effects of additional mental imagery training on lower limb function in stroke patients treated with virtual reality

Aim: To evaluate whether stroke patients receiving combined task-oriented and virtual reality training could further benefit from adding motor imagery training with regard to lower limb sensorimotor function, balance, gait, and fall risk.
Material and Methods: Thirty chronic stroke patients (40-60 years) participated in this single-blind randomized controlled trial, recruited through a convenience sampling method, randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group underwent virtual reality training combined with mental imagery, while the control group received virtual reality training alongside conventional treatment. Both interventions lasted for 6 weeks, with 3 sessions per week. The data was collected with Berg Balance Scale, Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Lower Extremity, Wisconsin Gait Scale, Timed Up and Go Test, and 10-meter Walk Test at baseline, and after 3 and 6 weeks.
Results: Participants in the experimental group showed significantly better performance compared to the control group on all study measures (P<0.05). Further, both groups improved significantly compared to baseline (P<0.05).
Conclusions: Integrating motor imagery training into rehabilitation plans of chronic stroke patients treated with task-oriented and virtual reality training significantly improves patient outcome.