A Combination of Constraint-induced Therapy and Motor Control Retraining in the Treatment of Focal Hand Dystonia in Musicians – a Long-term Follow-up Study

Purpose and relevance Focal hand dystonia (FHD) in musicians is a painless task-specific motor disorder characterized by involuntary loss of control of individual finger movements. It is associated with decreased cortical inhibition, and maladaptive cortical reorganization showing fusion of the representational zones of the digits in the primary somatosensory cortex. Research investigating the long-term effects of rehabilitation strategies for FHD is lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effects of a combined behavioural therapy intervention, aimed at normalising finger movement patterns.