Dohle 2009

Methods	RCT
Participants	Country: Germany Sample size: 48 participants (24 in each group, 12 dropped out) Inclusion criteria: first ever ischaemic stroke in the territory of the middle cerebral artery; not more than 8 weeks post‐stroke; between 25 and 80 years old; able to follow therapy instructions; capable of participating in 30‐minute daily therapy sessions Exclusion criteria: experienced previous stroke; major haemorrhagic changes; increased intracranial pressure; hemicraniectomy or orthopedic, rheumatologic, or other diseases interfering with their ability to sit or to move either upper limb
Interventions	2 arms: mirror therapy: participants were instructed to move both arms "as well as possible" while looking in the mirror bilateral arm training: patients performed the same treatment protocol as in group 1 but without a mirror 1 and 2: 5 days a week; 30 minutes of therapy for 6 weeks
Outcomes	Outcomes were recorded at baseline and after the intervention FM‐UE motor, ROM, pain and sensory section (FM‐UE 0 to 126) ARAT 0 to 57 FIM self‐care and mobility items (7 to 77) self‐defined Neglect score (0 to 4)
Notes	Published and unpublished data; we extracted the motor section of the FM‐UE (without reflex activity, 0 to 60)
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Low risk	Sealed, numbered envelopes were created
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Low risk	Sealed envelopes were broken after study inclusion
ITT analysis	High risk	Drop‐outs were not included in analysis
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) primary outcome	Low risk	Assessors of primary outcome were blinded to group allocation