Objective: To explore the effect of mirror therapy on patients with dysphagia in the poststroke pharyngeal phase under embodied cognition theory.

Methods: 40 patients with pharyngeal dysphagia after stroke were randomly divided into 2 groups according to random number table method, with 20 cases in each group. There were no statistically significant differences in gender, age, stroke type, and disease duration ratio. Each group received routine swallowing treatment, and each group received different intervention training on the basis of routine. The control group received static mirror therapy, and the observation group received dynamic mirror therapy. The swallowing function of the patients was evaluated by the Fujijima swallowing efficacy evaluation scale, the Kubota water swallowing test (WST), and the video fluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) before and after treatment, and the total effective rate was compared by WST grading.

Results: After treatment, the scores of Fujijima swallowing efficacy evaluation scale and VFSS in 2 groups were significantly improved compared with those before treatment (P values <0.001), and the observation group was significantly improved compared with the control group (P values of 0.020 and <0.001, respectively). After treatment, the WST grade score of the two groups decreased, and the decrease of the observation group was more obvious than that of the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P＝0.044). After treatment, the comprehensive effective rate of the 2 groups was significantly different (P＝0.045).

Conclusion: Both dynamic mirror therapy and static mirror therapy can improve the swallowing function of patients with pharyngeal dysphagia after stroke, and the therapeutic effect of dynamic mirror therapy based on embodied cognition theory is superior to static mirror therapy.