Investigating the dose‐response relationship between motor imagery and motor recovery of upper‐limb impairment and function in chronic stroke: A scoping review

The recovery of upper‐limb impairment and dysfunction post‐stroke is often incomplete owing to the limited time in therapy focused on upper‐limb recovery and the severity of the impairment. In these cases, motor imagery (MI) may be used as a precursor to physical therapies to initiate rehabilitation early on when it would be otherwise impossible to engage in therapy, as well as to increase the dose of therapy when MI is used in adjunct to physical therapy. While previous reviews have shown MI to be effective as a therapeutic option, disparity in findings exists, with some studies suggesting MI is not an effective treatment for post‐stroke impairment and dysfunction. One factor contributing to these findings is inconsistency in the dose of MI applied. To explore the relationship between MI dose and recovery, a scoping review of MI literature as a treatment for adult survivors of stroke with chronic upper‐limb motor deficit was performed. Embase, Medline and CINHAL databases were searched for articles related to MI and stroke. Following a two‐phase review process, 21 papers were included, and data related to treatment dose and measures of impairment and function were extracted. Effect sizes were calculated to investigate the effect of dosage on motor recovery. Findings showed a high degree of variability in dosage regimens across studies, with no clear pattern for the effect of dose on outcome. The present review highlights the gaps in MI literature, including variables that contribute to the dose‐response relationship, that future studies should consider when implementing MI.