Mirror Therapy in Children With Hemiparetic Cerebral Palsy

Summary

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that frequently impairs upper extremity motor control and hand function, resulting in limitations in daily activities. Mirror therapy is a low-cost, easy-to-implement intervention that promotes motor learning by stimulating cortical reorganization and neuroplasticity. This randomized, sham-controlled clinical trial aims to investigate the effects of mirror therapy on upper extremity function, selective motor control, hand function, hand grip strength, and manual dexterity in children with hemiparetic CP.

Twenty-six children with hemiparetic CP will be randomly assigned to either an experimental group receiving mirror therapy combined with conventional physiotherapy or a control group receiving sham mirror therapy combined with the same conventional physiotherapy program. The intervention will be administered over an 8-week period.

Baseline assessments will include the Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) and the Modified Ashworth Scale. Outcome measures collected before and after the intervention will include the Selective Control of the Upper Extremity Scale (SCUES), ABILHAND-Kids questionnaire, hand grip strength measured with the Jamar dynamometer, and manual dexterity assessed using the Nine-Hole Peg Test.

The study is expected to provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of mirror therapy beyond conventional physiotherapy by using a sham-controlled design and to contribute to the development of standardized, evidence-based rehabilitation protocols for improving upper extremity function in children with hemiparetic CP.

Conditions

• Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy
• Mirror Hands
• Upper Extremity Dysfunction
• Motor Activity

Interventions

OTHER

Mirror Therapy

Mirror therapy will be administered for approximately 20 minutes following conventional physiotherapy sessions, twice weekly for 8 weeks. During the intervention, participants will perform bilateral, symmetrical upper extremity movements while observing the mirror reflection of the unaffected upper limb to create the visual illusion of movement of the affected limb.

OTHER

Sham Mirror Therapy

Sham mirror therapy will be administered for approximately 20 minutes following conventional physiotherapy sessions, twice weekly for 8 weeks. Participants will perform the same bilateral upper extremity exercises while the mirror is positioned to eliminate visual mirror feedback.

OTHER

Conventional Physiotherapy

Individualized neurodevelopmental treatment-based physiotherapy including stretching, upper extremity strengthening exercises, mat activities, standing and gait training, and fine motor skill activities. The program will be delivered for approximately 40 minutes per session, twice weekly for 8 weeks.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Halic University

  collaborator OTHER

• Marmara University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• İrem Çetinkaya, PhD · Marmara University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

6 Years

Max Age

12 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-08-01

Primary Completion

2026-10-01

Completion

2026-10-25