Mirror therapy in patients with CRPS I of the upper extremity; a randomized clinical trial.

Mirror therapy was introduced by Ramachandran in patient with phantom limb pain and is based on new knowledge about the plasticity of the brain. Recently, studies in patients with CRPS have suggested that exercising with the painful hand behind a mirror and watching a reflection of the normal hand will give the brain the illusion that the hand is now able to move normally.
In these controlled but undersized studies, positive effects were reported on pain, oedema and hand function.

In the present single-blind randomized clinical trial, mirror therapy will be presented in three phases:

1. one week Recognition of Hand Laterality using pictures of left and right hand;

2. one week of Imagined Hand Movements;

3. four weeks of mirror therapy.

The control group will receive treatment following standard treatment guidelines.
The primary outcome of this study is pain, and secondary outcomes are hand function, ADL, oedema, sensibility, and quality of life.

Mirror therapy in patients with CRPS I has a positive effect on pain, oedema, sensibility, hand function, ADL and quality of life compared to standard treatment.

N/A

Mirror therapy versus standard treatment.