Synergic effect of the combination of mirror therapy and electrical stimulation for lower extremity motor function recovery in stroke survivors: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Objectives: To explore the synergic effect of the combination of mirror therapy and electrical stimulation on lower limb motor function recovery in stroke survivors.
Materials and Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, CNKI, Wan Fang, CBM were searched from inception to December 2020. Randomized controlled trials that compared the combined therapy with another single therapy were included. A pre-determined data collection form was used to extract data. Two authors independently extracted data and used the Cochrane Handbook criteria to assess the quality of included studies.
Results: Six studies, with a total of 437 patients were included. There was an overall positive effect on lower limb motor function recovery, according to Fugl-Meyer Assessment for the Lower Extremity [all: WMD in fixed effects model: 5.63, 95% CI 4.86, 6.39] and Brunnstrom stage [all: WMD in fixed effects model: 0.49, 95% CI 0.32, 0.66].
Conclusions: The results indicate that the combination of mirror therapy and electrical stimulation for lower extremity motor function recovery in stroke survivors may have a positive effect.