What is a mirror box?
Mirror box is a device used in patients suffering from phantom limbs, paralysis and neuropathic pain. Patients put both limbs, usually arms, in the box, cover the damaged limb. They follow the movements of healthy limbs in the mirror to report their brains. This can be offered as part of the therapeutic program and can be performed at home and under the guidance of a qualified doctor. Research on the use of mirror box therapy shows that it may be beneficial for some patients.
The idea of mirror box therapy is that when people try to move the injured limbs, the remaining nerves send signals to the brain; In the case of a paralyzed limb, these signals could be a reminder that the limb cannot move. For amputations, nerves can express confusion because there is no limb. Over time, these signals can be transformed into pain messages and create phantom pain and irritation. If the patient has any function at the endEtin, these signals these signals can reduce the range of movement because the patient is beginning to worry about pain.
tactics such as physical therapy, as well as medicines, can help relieve pain and increase the range of movement. The mirror box can be used as a tool to retract the brain so that it stops incorrect processing of the nerve signals. It can be used with arms or legs. Patients usually start working with a health care provider who had them put both limbs in the box and adds the cover to the side of the box with a damaged limb.
The mirror in the middle of the box turns a healthy limb and creates a mirror image. The patient can perform a number of exercises and monitor the mirror image that creates the illusion that the injured or missing limb is fully involved. These exercises may vary in nature and complexity. This can essentially make the brain believe that it has two healthy limbs, which will redirectPatterns of pre -intentionally established pain signals.
Patients using a mirror box may reduce the pain of the phantom limb. Others may have pain due to neurological injuries or other problems and can consider the box successful as a non -invasive method of pain treatment. Pain associated with paralysis can be alleviated and patients with poor coordination could experience improvement after the therapy sessions with a mirror box. This technique is not effective in all patients, but can be considered or presented as an option if the therapists think it could be useful.