Background: Hemiplegia, often caused by stroke, leads to loss of motor control and spasticity, severely impacting quality of life. Kinesiotaping (KT) and Mirror Therapy (MT) are emerging neuro-rehabilitation techniques that offer non-invasive, low-cost methods to improve motor function in hemiplegic patients. This study compares the effectiveness of KT and MT in improving spasticity and hand function in patients with chronic hemiplegia.
Methods: This interventional study was performed on 42 hemiplegic patients selected from Benha University Hospitals. Patients were divided into two groups: KT (n=21) and MT (n=21). Both groups received regular rehabilitation twice a week for six weeks. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scale for the Upper Limb (FMA-UE), Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), and the Box and Block Test (BBT) were used to evaluate outcomes before and after treatment.
Results: Both KT and MT significantly improved MAS, FMA-UE, and BBT scores (p < 0.001). The KT group showed greater reduction in spasticity (MAS: 2.29 ± 1.15 to 1.52 ± 0.75, p < 0.001) compared to the MT group (MAS: 2.52 ± 1.21 to 2.38 ± 1.32, p=0.083). KT also demonstrated superior improvement in manual dexterity (BBT: 9.43 ± 3.53 to 14.24 ± 3.87, p < 0.001) compared to MT (BBT: 8.05 ± 5.36 to 11.24 ± 5.89, p < 0.001). Linear regression analysis confirmed KT's superiority in predicting MAS (β=20.238, p=0.002) and BBT (β=36.812, p < 0.001) improvement.
Conclusions: KT is more effective than MT in reducing spasticity and enhancing manual dexterity in chronic hemiplegia patients, supporting its use as a superior therapeutic option.