Mirror imagery therapy can help pain, as we’ve seen in previous posts (post 1, post 2). However, for some people, starting with mirror work isn’t possible as it flares up pain. Is there another option?
Yes! A more basic place to start is with a 2-part series that engages your brain in the steps before you actually move parts of your body. You get your brain ready to move.
The NOI group has created a great computer program to assist you with this part of treatment. Their Recognise program shows pictures of hands and feet, some in simple pictures, and some harder to recognize.
Step 1 – you choose if the picture is a left or right hand or foot. (Not as easy as it sounds!) After you’re up to speed with practicing this step (sometimes several weeks or more), you move on to…
Step 2 – you imagine moving your hand or foot into the same position as the picture. And again, you practice this step a while.
It’s believed that by practicing the steps before actual movements, your brain gets ready to move with less pain.
Studies have showed that you’ll have slower recognition of hands and feet which are on the same side of your body as where you have pain. By practicing the program over and over, your speed of recognition will improve, and hopefully your pain will decrease.
The NOI group offers both flashcard pictures and the computer program. I’d recommend the computer program for several reasons:
- you develop a record of your sessions
- your percentage correct is calculated for you
- your improvement is tracked for you
Take a look at their very valuable website. If you try the program, let me know how you do! Recognise is also now available in the US through OPTP.
Here are links to some of my previous posts that talk about this program:
- a research study about graded motor imagery
- the author of the study, Dr. Moseley, talks with us here and here
- a podcast about the program
Next week, we’ll look at a research study that sheds some light on movement problems associated with pain.
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5 responses so far ↓
Lynn // Jun 27, 2007 at 9:24 am
Have you tried the Recognise program yourself? Also, are you aware of a U.S. based site for ordering Recognise cd versus NOI group site and its rather costly freight charges?
Thanks.
HtCwP // Jun 27, 2007 at 10:37 am
I’ve tried Recognise to evaluate it. However, I’ve been able to score very high, meaning I don’t have left/right discrimination problems right now. I might have when my pain was worse.
So I’ve moved on to the mirror imagery treatments, and am currently seeing how that goes.
Of interest, my husband, who has no pain problems - other than a cat whom he finds painfully annoying
- scored poorly. His skills are more abstract, rather than math-oriented. So I also believe that other things, besides pain, can affect R/L discrimination.
However, whatever your initial scores are with Recognise, the purpose is to improve them to see how they help with your pain.
Lastly, I’ve emailed NOI to check about a US site. If there is, I’ll post it here, so check back.
jeisea // Jun 28, 2007 at 8:43 pm
I also have used Recognize. I have whole body CRPS and score quite poorly at the most basic level. However I score much better with the more complex picture backgrounds. I do much worse when pain is increased eg with migraine as well as the rest.
A male who has tried and has no pain scored 100%. A female who has no pain scores poorly just as your husband did. I disagree with your thoughts that perhaps one’s skill area may impact on this as both the other female and I have strengths in the maths/science areas.
Of five adults
1 has NO pain and PERFECT scores
1 has PAIN but PERFECT scores
1 has PAIN and POOR scores
2 have NO pain and POOR scores
Schwoebel et al. (2001) in “Pain & Body Schema” wrote
“- we note that the hand laterality task, after further examinaton and modification, may also be of clinical value. As a blind and objective measure, it may be that performance on the hand laterality task could provide a more reliable & valid measure of pain than the currently used self-reported ratings of pain. ”
This small sample would appear to refute this suggestion.
Interestingly, although I have clearly left/right issues I have been using mirror visual therapy without prior use of Recognize or imagined movements and with great success. In fact Dr Moseley indicated to me that as I have success with mirror therapy, I appear not to need Recognize.
That said Dr Moseley’s studies raise the
possibility that success is dependent on sequential activation
of pre-motor and then motor networks. My case may be different as I do not exhibit obvious symptoms of “neglect” and have exercised from the beginning bi-laterally.
As this sequential program is simple and easy to follow it seems sensible to take that approach.
HtCwP // Jun 29, 2007 at 3:11 am
Hmmm, very interesting.
Perhaps the no-pain-but-poor-score is more specific… a proxy for body awareness in some way.
How about clumsiness or sports ability? Or sense of directions, knowing where you are related to your surroundings?
Thanks for your comment!
jeisea // Jun 29, 2007 at 8:53 pm
Spacial awareness seems a likely possibility.
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