OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of mirror therapy (MT) for phantom limb pain (PLP). DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Embase, Ovid Medline, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, CNKI, and Wanfang Data were used to search for studies published up to March 31, 2021. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the pain intensity of MT for PLP were performed. A total of 2,094 articles were found. Among them, 10 were eligible for the final analysis. DATA EXTRACTION: The quality of the RCTs was assessed using the PEDro scale by two independent reviewers. Outcome data were pooled according to follow-up intervals (1, 3, 6, and 12 months). Duration times were used as a basis for distinguishing subgroups. The primary evaluation was by visual analog scale (VAS). The PEDro scale was used to assess the methodological quality of studies. DATA SYNTHESIS: Meta-analysis revealed a statistically significant decrease in pain in the MT group versus the control group within 1 month (I2 = 0%, SMD -0.46, 95% CI -0.79 to -0.13, p = 0.007). The patients with pain for longer than one year benefited more from MT (I2 = 0%, SMD -0.46, 95% CI -0.85 to -0.07, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: MT has beneficial effects for patients suffering from PLP in the short-term, as evidenced by their improved pain scores. There was no evidence that MT had a long-term effect, but that may be a product of limited data. For patients with long-term PLP, MT may be an effective treatment.

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