Constraint-induced movement therapy: some thoughts about theories and evidence

Constraint-induced movement therapy: some thoughts about theories and evidence.

Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) is a type of treatment for hemiparetic stroke patients in which the patient is strongly encouraged to use the affected arm. One way of doing this is to immobilise the unaffected arm. This treatment is meant to help patients overcome 'learned non-use'. The learned non-use theory is based on deafferentiation experiments in monkeys. In this review four ra...

Constraint-induced movement therapy.

Kunkel and colleagues 1 recently published an article on constraint-induced (CI) movement therapy for motor recovery in chronic stroke patients. They presented the results of an uncontrolled series of 5 stroke patients undergoing CI therapy. The authors also presented a review of five studies, including their own, concerning the effectiveness of CI therapy based on a calculation of effect sizes...

Constraint Induced Movement Therapy

Constraint-induced movement therapy.

Constraint-induced movement therapy improves outcome after chronic stroke, conforms experimental observations of neuronal plasticity, and proves the efficacy of intensive occupational therapy. More acutely instituted constraint-induced movement therapy has both practical and theoretic risks and benefits that deserve further careful evaluation.

Modified Constraint-induced Movement Therapy

Unilateral paralysis or paresis of an upper extremity can cause gross and fine motor functional impairments. These impairments can severely impact bilateral function of the upper extremities, thereby affecting a child’s participation in daily activities. Modified constraint-induced movement therapy (mCIMT) is an emerging and potentially effective treatment for children with unilateral upper ext...