Digital Mirror Versus Action Observation Therapy on Upper Limb Function and Grip Strength in Children With Hemiplegia

June 13, 2026 updated by: Alaa Abdallah Amin, Cairo University

Statement of problem:

  1. Does the digital mirror therapy has effect on upper limb function and grip strength in children with hemiplegia ?
  2. Does the action observation therapy has effect on upper limb function and grip strength in children with hemiplegia ?
  3. Does there is a difference between effect of digital mirror therapy and action observation therapy on upper limb function and grip strength in children with hemiplegia?

Null hypothesis:

there is no effect of digital mirror therapy on upper limb function and grip strength in children with hemiplegia. There is no effect of action observation therapy on upper limb function and grip strength in children with hemiplegia. There is no difference between effect of digital mirror therapy and Action observation therapy on upper limb function and grip strength in children with hemiplegia.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Subjects:

The study targets the children from both sexes,diagnosed with hemiplegia,Sample size estimation will be carried out to determine the recruited number of children, selected randomly from Cairo University pediatric specialized hospital, Cairo to participate in the study,

Study design:

Randomized controlled clinical trial, Children will receive intervention type randomly(3 groups), 15 children will receive digital mirror therapy,15 children will receive action observation therapy, 15 children will receive designed occupational therapy program.

Children will be assessed by Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and Manual ability classification system (MACS) for inclusion and Quality of upper extremity skill test, Box and Block Test (BBT) and Hand held dynanmometer which reflect clinical improvement in upper limb function and grip strength before and after 3 months of receiving intervention

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
45

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Egypt
      • Cairo, Egypt
        • Cairo University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 1 Diagnosed with unilateral cerebral palsy (hemiplegia). 2- Age range from 6 to 8 years. 3- Can understand verbal commands. 4- Their gross motor classification system (GMFCS) at level II or III. 5- Their manual ability classification system(MACS) at level II or III.

Exclusion Criteria:

1- Any visual problem. 2- Upper limb contracture or fixed deformity. 3- Uncontrolled convulsion. 4- Surgical procedures in upper limbs. 5- Botox injection in the past 6 months.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: digital mirror therapy
Children are asked to perform movements of the less affected upper limb, in which those movements are captured by a webcam and then instantly transformed into mirror images of the movements presented on the screen over the paralyzed upper limb, and children can simultaneously observe the mirror images of the movements from the front and simultaneously moved the more affected arm/hand as much as possible, imagining the movements on the screen were performed by their more affected limb, same exercises as designed occupational therapy program, for 1 hour, one session per day , 3 days per week for 12weeks.
Other: digital mirror therapy
Child will be asked to do the same exercises mentioned in the designed occupational therapy program with the less affected upper limb and the web cam camera will record the movement, instantly transformed into mirror images of the more affected upper limb's movements presented on the screen in front of child.
Experimental: action observation therapy
children observed one video clip of a movement or task for 2 min and then practiced executing the same action for 3 min, which the two phases will be applied one time for each exercises, same exercises as designed occupational therapy program
Other: action observation therapy
the child will be offered to tablet screen put in front of him 50 centimeters away, time for each video will last for 2 min. Then, the child will be asked to repeat the observed action in the best possible way. All the activities included in the designed occupational therapy program will be observed and imitated.
Active Comparator: designed occupational therapy program
Active occupational therapy exercises for upper limb training. The three common categories of motor actions and tasks: (a) Active range of motion(ROM) exercises for elbow extension, wrist extension, forearm supination, finger extension using rubber band and finger flexor by squeezing a stress ball . (b) Reaching forward and object manipulation as moving beads and blocks from one cup to another one, rolling a clay ball from tip of fingers to the palm, thumb to fingers opposition and drawing using tripod grasp for 1 hour, one session per day , 3 days per week for 12weeks.
Other: designed occupational therapy program

Active occupational therapy exercises for upper limb training. The three common categories of motor actions and tasks:

(a) Active range of motion(ROM) exercises for elbow extension, wrist extension, forearm supination, finger extension using rubber band and finger flexor by squeezing a stress ball ,(b) Reaching forward and object manipulation as moving beads and blocks from one cup to another one, rolling a clay ball from tip of fingers to the palm. thumb to fingers opposition and drawing using tripod grasp.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
assessment of upper limb function
Time Frame: 3 months
The Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test (QUEST) is one of the most recommended assessment tools. It aims to evaluate upper limb movement quality and capacity in children with CP, it has four domains dissociated movement, grasp, protective extension and weight bearing.
3 months
assessment of manual dextriry
Time Frame: 3 months
Box and block test (BBT) examines essential components of manual dexterity for developing children, such as grasping, holding, transferring, and releasing
3 months
assessment of grip strength
Time Frame: 3 months
Hydraulic Handheld Dynamometer will be used to assess the maximum isometric strength of the hand muscles, Grip strength is a key predictor of functional ability. Neuralplasticity, sensorimotor integration, and musculoskeletal function.
3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Cairo University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 2, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 13, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 17, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 17, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 13, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • P.T.REC/012/006461

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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