| Sumario: | Introduction: Mirror therapy is an effective stroke rehabilitation intervention for upper extremity hemiparesis; however, there are no established protocols of specific tasks for use during mirror therapy. Identifying the most realistic tasks would help establish a protocol for replicable research studies. The aim of this study is to describe characteristics of mirror therapy tasks that appear to be most realistic to healthy individuals. Method: Ninety-two healthy individuals completed 25 tasks and movements with their dominant upper extremity reflected in a mirror. Participants rated each task for its perceived level of reality, or naturalistic appearance of a bilateral task as reflected in the mirror, by completing a task realism scale. Nonparametric analyses were used to compare tasks/movements designated as simple vs complex, functional vs range of motion/exercise, and performed parallel vs perpendicular to the mirror. Results: Tasks categorized as simple and range of motion/exercise movements performed parallel to the mirror were rated as more realistic than tasks categorized as complex, involving functional tasks, or performed perpendicular to the mirror. Conclusions: The findings of this study could potentially increase the efficacy of mirror therapy. Further research of this precursory assumption is needed in developing a standardized mirror therapy treatment protocol.
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