Mirror therapy has been shown to successfully treat phantom limb pain but there is some evidence that it can also prove effective at treating CRPS as well.
In a recent study by Angelo Cacchio and colleagues in Italy (Cacchio et al, 2009) 24 stroke patients with CRPS type 1 of a paretic arm were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups: mirror therapy, covered mirror, and mental imagery.
In both the mirror and covered-mirror groups, patients performed several movements of the affected arm for 30 mins daily. The primary outcome was severity of pain upon movement, motor function, brush-induced allodynia, and edema after 4 weeks of therapy.
The active mirror group enjoyed a substantial decrease in pain severity after 4 weeks. In this group 7 of 8 patients reported reduced pain. In the covered group, by contrast, only 1 of 8 participants reported reduced pain while 5 reported an increase in pain. In the mental imagery group only 2 patients reported a decrease in pain while 6 reported an increase in pain.
Subsequent to the initial 4-week randomization period, 12 patients from the covered mirror and mental imagery groups crossed over to active mirror therapy. Eleven out of these 12 patients subsequently reported a reduction of pain after 4 weeks.
Cacchio, A., De Blasis, E., Necozione, S., di Orio, F., & Santilli, V. (2009). Mirror therapy for chronic complex regional pain syndrome type 1 and stroke. N Engl J Med, 361(6), 634-6.
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