Effects of Action Observation Therapy with Limited Visual Attention on Walking Ability in Stroke Patients

Abstract

In this study, we compared the effects of action observation therapy (AOT) on the walking ability of stroke patients between videos with limited visual attention (body part videos) and a video with the whole body (whole body video). We employed a crossover design and conducted 3 AOT sessions (body part videos, whole body video and a scenery video) for 11 stroke patients. The evaluation items were the 10-m walking time and number of steps, cadence, trunk and knee joint angles during walking, and the timed up and go test (TUGT). After body part videos, the 10-m walking time, trunk and knee joint angles and TUGT significantly improved, suggesting them to be an efficient AOT method.

Keywords:

• action observation therapy
• walking ability
• mirror neuron system
• visual attention

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the therapists, nurses, and physicians for their cooperation with this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Funding

The research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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