Treatment Mirrors, Physical Therapy Equipment, Therapy Mirrors, Personal Hygiene

The Use of Mirrors in Therapy and Rehabilitation

Mirrors have been an essential piece of rehabilitation equipment for many years, and can be found in many physical therapy treatment areas. One of their main uses is to provide patients with a reflective body image of themselves as a therapeutic strategy aimed at retraining movement posture and control. Full length mirrors are often used in sitting or standing positions, and in gait training. For example, when the central nervous system is damaged by a stroke, the affected individual may experience impaired postural control. A therapist can provide a reflected mirror image of the person to deliver visual feedback during treatment sessions where motor training is occurring.

What are Different Types of Treatment Mirrors?

There are a few options to decide on when choosing the correct type of treatment mirror. They can be wall-mounted or self-standing, a single pane or a tri-fold, and made of plate glass or glassless. Size is another factor that should be determined for space. Treatment mirrors can be utilized across a wide range of modalities including speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and sports medicine.

What are Glassless Mirrors?

Glassless mirrors may be an easier, lighter and safer alternative to plate glass mirrors that can shatter. They can be employed in any home gym or rehabilitation facility due to their unique qualities. A glassless mirror is much lighter than glass mirrors. For example, a glassless mirror that measures 4 feet x 6 feet weighs ten pounds compared to a plate glass mirror that weighs seventy two pounds. Since glassless mirrors are lightweight, they can be hung on walls, ceilings, or used as a teaching tool over tabletops with suspension wires. Glassless mirrors can also be used to open up a room by reflecting light throughout, tripling the brightness of the interior, and creating the illusion of more space.

These mirrors do not attract as much dust as the traditional mirrors, and do not need to be cleaned as often if they are placed in an area that is free of fumes and grease. They are not made to be touched often or used in an area where puncturing from a sharp object is highly likely. Their surface is not as thick or hard as a piece of glass and cannot hold up to objects being pressed into them, nor provide a source of friction. Glassless mirrors should be made of a highly reflective film which is stretched over a solid lightweight aluminum frame. Wall-mount styles should come with pre-drilled holes to be used for vertical or horizontal positioning, with mounting brackets already attached.

Glassless rolling stand mirrors are suitable for rolling from room to room. They do not distort the reflection of a person and give the same crystal clear reflection of a traditional mirror. Many theatrical companies use glassless mirrors to refract light onto a stage because they are brighter than plate glass mirrors. Since they are constructed with a foam backing, they do not reflect sound back the same way a hard surfaced traditional mirror does. Glassless mirrors have an acoustic dampening property that tends to absorb sound. This property becomes stronger as the frequency range grows higher, making it effective for schools with high noise levels and public gathering places. Because of their lightweight, shatterproof design, they can be used in places where it would be difficult or dangerous to use glass mirrors.

The rolling stand allows them to be stored out of the way when not in use and bring them back into a room or area when needed. They can be used in clinics, multi-purpose spaces, physical therapy facilities, nursing homes, hospitals, stage productions and scenery, fashion shows, dressing rooms, merchandising displays, home and commercial gyms, dance and exercise studios, playrooms, ceilings, night clubs, lobbies, casinos, educational facilities, and public restrooms. Glassless mirrors should be primarily used indoors to enable the surface of the mirror to last longer. If it was to be hit, it would puncture or tear the surface, but there would be no shards of broken glass. It can be cleaned with a soft cloth and cleaner, and nothing abrasive that can scratch and dull the surface should be used.

Tri-fold glassless mirrors can be used for tabletop therapies in the smaller sizes, or any type of training that requires a person to watch the entire body in the larger sizes. They can be employed in weight and exercise rooms, or with training stairs and parallel bars. Most of them are portable, with wheels under each section for easy rolling. A tri-fold mirror is a solution for those who need to see their reflections from three different perspectives. They should provide distortion-free, accurate reflection for rehabilitation and therapy purposes. A benefit of a glassless mirror is that it is resistant to fogging. This can be a real bonus in speech therapy which involves using a mirror very close to a person’s face.

A single pane standing glassless mirror can be delivered in almost any indoor environment. It can be brought to the individual without the fear of it shattering. Since its surface is resistant to fogging, it can be utilized near showers and pools. Glassless mirrors can be painted or silkscreened with acrylic paints for graphic treatments and decorative effects.

Hulet Smith, OT
Rehabmart Co-Founder & CEO

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