Medical Science

ABSTRACT Objective: In stroke, upper limb hemi paresis is commonly seen impairment which is particularly affecting activities of daily living (ADL). It is believed that motor recovery occurs only in first 6-12 months after stroke. One of the major goals in rehabilitation for survivors of stroke is return to independence in ADL. The success of achieving plastic changes in the central nervous system after skill training appears to be dependent on the amount of practice from the particular skills. Purpose of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of mental imagery training in promoting relearning in post stroke subjects. Method: A randomized design group was used to examine the differences in mental imagery training and functional retaining train-ing for 3 weeks for five sessions per week. The training was carried out in outpatient department of a teaching institute. Thirty sub-jects of both genders were included up to 60 years of age who were medically stable, able to communicate, diagnosed with unilateral cerebral infarction. The subjects were divided into 2 groups 15 in each group study group and control group. The outcome measures used were Fugal Meyer motor assessment scale and 7 point Likert scale. Results: P value shows significant difference between the pre and posttest means of both groups under both outcome measures. There was statistically significant difference in both outcome measures after intervention in mental imagery training group. Conclusion: This study concludes that cortical reorganization and functional improvement were seen following mental practice with mental imagery training along with conventional physiotherapy