New software to help beat paralysis
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NEW DELHI: A unique approach adopted by AIIMS
AIIMS neurologists is offering new hope to stroke patients. This
'mirror therapy' involves creating an illusion, using webcam and special
software, where a patient's paralysed limb moves in tandem with a
healthy one. Researchers say the therapy helps activate the brain cells and leads to a faster recovery.
This is how it works: The patient suffering from partial paralysis is asked to sit in front of a computer-assisted webcam. While the camera captures the motion of the unaffected hand/leg, a special software creates a mirror image of the same, creating an illusion that the affected limb is moving.
Ashu Bhasin, the lead researcher who experimented with the therapy on 20 stroke patients at AIIMS, says that when the patient sees the moving hand/leg on laptop screen as the affected limb, he tries to imitate the movement in real environment. "Intensive repetition of this exercise seems to improve the motor potential of the affected," she said.
The 'mirror therapy' was invented by Vilayanur S Ramachandran and co-workers, Bhasin added, to alleviate the phantom limb pain in amputees. "Originally, a mirror was used to create the illusion. But we used the webcam because it was more handy and safer to use with patients suffering from neurological condition," she said.
The study — published in the latest issue of Neurology India — states the treatment regime was administered for eight weeks for 60-90 minutes." It adds, "There was an increase in the activation of primary motor area post therapy explaining the 'restitution' concept of neural plasticity. A shift in part of the frontal cortex of the brain was also observed post-therapy suggesting that physiotherapy in the form of mental imagery promotes a focused activation of the injured brain, augmenting recovery."
Conventional therapy seeks to restore mobility and movement by concentrating directly on the paralysed half of body using physical exercises and stimulation to treat partial paralysis — one of the most common long-term consequences of stroke.
The functional and behavioural recovery still needs to be understood, experts say, to evolve a definite pattern to help health care professionals to deal with the load of stroke patients. "Stroke is second leading cause of mortality in developing countries. The estimated prevalence of stroke in Asian countries is about 250-300 per 100,000 with a death rate of 1.2%. But the post-stroke rehabilitation services are non-structured and have not been standardized yet," said a senior doctor.
This is how it works: The patient suffering from partial paralysis is asked to sit in front of a computer-assisted webcam. While the camera captures the motion of the unaffected hand/leg, a special software creates a mirror image of the same, creating an illusion that the affected limb is moving.
Ashu Bhasin, the lead researcher who experimented with the therapy on 20 stroke patients at AIIMS, says that when the patient sees the moving hand/leg on laptop screen as the affected limb, he tries to imitate the movement in real environment. "Intensive repetition of this exercise seems to improve the motor potential of the affected," she said.
The 'mirror therapy' was invented by Vilayanur S Ramachandran and co-workers, Bhasin added, to alleviate the phantom limb pain in amputees. "Originally, a mirror was used to create the illusion. But we used the webcam because it was more handy and safer to use with patients suffering from neurological condition," she said.
The study — published in the latest issue of Neurology India — states the treatment regime was administered for eight weeks for 60-90 minutes." It adds, "There was an increase in the activation of primary motor area post therapy explaining the 'restitution' concept of neural plasticity. A shift in part of the frontal cortex of the brain was also observed post-therapy suggesting that physiotherapy in the form of mental imagery promotes a focused activation of the injured brain, augmenting recovery."
Conventional therapy seeks to restore mobility and movement by concentrating directly on the paralysed half of body using physical exercises and stimulation to treat partial paralysis — one of the most common long-term consequences of stroke.
The functional and behavioural recovery still needs to be understood, experts say, to evolve a definite pattern to help health care professionals to deal with the load of stroke patients. "Stroke is second leading cause of mortality in developing countries. The estimated prevalence of stroke in Asian countries is about 250-300 per 100,000 with a death rate of 1.2%. But the post-stroke rehabilitation services are non-structured and have not been standardized yet," said a senior doctor.
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