• Yibo Liu, Qing Han, Zekun Li, Hao Liu, Xu Sun, and Yuanyuan Ji.
• Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong, China.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2023 Aug 25; 102 (34): e34663e34663.

ObjectiveTo systematically evaluate the efficacy of motor imagery (MI) on lower limb function in patients with stroke based on the existing clinical studies.MethodsEight databases were searched up from the establishment of database to November 2022 to identify eligible studies. In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, 2 researchers used the Cochrane Systematic Review manual to independently cross-check the quality of the included literature and extract valid data. The RevMan 5.3 statistical software was used to obtain the meta-analysis, through the mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsA total of seventeen studies with 939 patients were included in the systematic review. The overall quality of the included studies was moderate. Meta-analysis showed that Fugl-Meyer Assessment of the lower extremity (FMA-LE) (MD = 4.86, 95%CI: 4.31, 5.42, P < .00001), berg balance scale (MD = 6.18, 95%CI: 4.57, 7.78, P < .00001), functional ambulation category (MD = 0.87, 95%CI: 0.41, 1.32, P = .0002), and the Modified Barthel Index (MD = 6.75, 95%CI: 3.23, 10.28, P = .0002) score improved significantly in the MI group compared with the control group.ConclusionsCurrent evidence shows that MI could effectively improve lower limb motor function and activities of daily living in stroke patients. Due to the limitations of the number and quality of the included studies, the above conclusions need to be verified by more high-quality studies.Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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