Mirror Box Therapy

Mirror Therapy is a form of Imagery in which a Mirror is used to convey visual stimuli to the brain through observation of one's unaffected body part as it carries out a set of movements. Mirror therapy is a drug free treatment and has been described in medical literature to be of benefit to 80% of users, some even report numbers as high as 95% and that rehabilitation can be dramatically improved by integrating physical and mental practice. A mirror box is a box with two mirrors in the centre (one facing each way), help to alleviate pain. During mirror therapy, a mirror is placed in the patient's mid-sagittal plane, thus reflecting movements of the non-paretic side as if it were the affected side. Pain relief in mirror therapy may be due to the activation of mirror neurons in the hemisphere of the brain that is contralateral to the amputated limb. These neurons fire when a person either performs an action or observes another person performing an action. Alternatively, visual input of what appears to be movement of the amputated limb might reduce the activity of the systems that perceive protopathic pain. In a pilot study, fMRI demonstrates that brain areas, that are involved in sensory-motor learning (mirror neurons), are activated by the visual illusion from mirror therapy. Although the underlying mechanism accounting for the success of this therapy remains to be elucidated, these results suggest that mirror therapy will have an effect in alleviating pain.