ABSTRACT

Objective : The purpose of this study is to show the effect of mental practice on the visual motor coordination of the disabled with left-side hemiplegia caused by stroke. The subjects of the study were three patients in rehabilitation with left-side hemiplegia caused by stroke at S Hospital in M City, Kyung-nam Province.Methods : The methods of the study were to conduct a subject selection test, to differentiate a base-line test period and then to play a dart game. When stable in the base-line stage, subject 1 entered into an intervention stage and practiced mental practice; a dart game was played right after as well as one hour after the mental practice, and the measurement value was the average of the shortest distance between the place the dart struck and the center of the target. Subject 2, who stayed in the base-line stage until subject 1 became stable in the intervention stage, played the dart game right after and one hour after the mental practice, and the average measurement value was obtained. Subject 3, who stayed in the base-line stage until subject 2 became stable in the intervention stage, played the dart game right after and one hour after the mental practice and again the average measurement value was obtained. The variation of the measurement values of the collected data were compared and analyzed through visual graph and average value, which is a technical statistic.Results : First, the visual motor coordination of all subjects improved with a decreased average value of the shortest distance between the place the dart struck and the center of the target right after the mental practice compared to the base line of only playing the dart game (physical practice). Second, the visual motor coordination of all subjects improved with a decreased average value of the shortest distance between the place the dart struck and the center of the target one hour after the mental practice compared to in the base-line stage of only playing the dart game (physical practice).Conclusion : Mental practice improved the visual motor coordination of the disabled with left-side hemiplegia caused by stroke. This conclusion shows that mental practice can be presented as a basis to show why a demonstration is needed prior to learning and treatment, and can also be used for the rehabilitation of those with left-side hemiplegia caused by stroke.