Motor Imagery Practice on Amputees (MIPA)

Motor imagery practice (MIP), which is the repeated internal representation of a movement without engaging its physical execution and which shares a neurofunctional equivalence with physical practice, has been show to contribute to promote motor recovery and pain alleviation. Despite the extensive body of evidence concerning MIP therapeutic effects, the impact of mental training during lower-limb amputees' rehabilitation process remains to be investigated. This study was designed to assess MIP effects on the relearning of walking and the frequency and intensity of phantom-limb pain among acute lower-limb amputees. Data should contribute to scale up the tools made available to therapists and extend the scope of MIP application. Moreover, results may contribute to directly provide patients recovering from a lower-limb amputation with a cost-effective and adaptable technique that could considerably improve their quality of life.