mirror box

therapeutics

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Last updated

July 19, 2026

Quick Summary

The mirror box is a therapeutic tool used to treat phantom limb syndrome, a condition where individuals feel sensations or pain in a limb that has been amputated. This therapy was developed in the mid-1990s and has shown some success in alleviating pain associated with "learned paralysis," which can occur when a limb was paralyzed before amputation.1

The mirror box therapy involves a box with a mirror, allowing patients to place their intact limb and their phantom limb. By viewing the reflection of their intact limb, the brain is tricked into perceiving the phantom limb as functional. This can help train the brain to move the phantom limb, thereby reducing associated pain. While the exact neurological changes are not fully understood, this therapy leverages the brain's neuroplasticity. Mirror therapy is also used for hemiplegia, a condition causing paralysis on one side of the body, often resulting from a stroke.12

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phantom limb syndrome
The mirror box, a novel therapy for phantom limb syndrome developed in the mid-1990s, has been used by a small number of patients. The therapy has had some success in alleviating pain associated with “learned paralysis,” often experienced by patients whose missing limbs were paralyzed prior…
Read More
The mirror box, a novel therapy for phantom limb syndrome developed in the mid-1990s, has been used by a small number of patients. The therapy has had some success in alleviating pain associated with “learned paralysis,” often experienced by patients whose missing limbs were paralyzed prior…
Read More