Mental Practice & Stroke Recovery

When a person has a stroke, they often suffer physical mobility impairments as a result of damage to brain tissue. One of the main goals of rehabilitation is to regain as much brain function and mobility as possible. Mental practice is a method of stroke rehabilitation that deals with restoring the cognitive function of the brain damaged by a stroke.

Identification

• Mental practice is a technique in which the patient cognitively rehearses physical skills in a safe, repetitive manner. This technique is sometimes referred to as "motor imagery." The goal of mental practice is to increase motor-skill learning and performance. According the American Heart Association, mental practice helps because when movements are mentally practiced, the same neural and muscular structures are activated as when they are done physically.

Benefits

• Mental practice helps restore blood flow to parts of the brain that have had no activity as a result of the stroke. The brain's memory patterns know which nerve cells and nerves to activate, and practice helps in the recovery of the patient. Pilot studies done through the American Heart Association indicate that mental practice done with other motor therapy yields better outcomes than conventional motor therapy alone.

Effects

• A specific activity performed mentally and repetitively will create a permanent impression on the brain. Because stroke injuries the brain, mental practice seeks to effect the ability of the brain to command body parts to move. The effect is to restore the ability of the patient to naturally and automatically use motor skills.

Expert Insight

• The conclusion of the American Heart Association's placebo-controlled trial was that use of mental practice programs had a clinically significant effect for rehabilitating affected arm motor function in patients with chronic stroke.

Considerations

• The Mayo Clinic notes that every person's stroke recovery is different. The impact of mental practice varies for every patient and is only one of many therapies used to aid in recovery. However, mental practice is being used even on patients with considerable physical debilitation, and tools are being developed to aid in the use of mental practice.