Effectiveness of constraint-induced movement therapy in subacute and chronic stroke patients

Objective:Constraint-induced movement therapy(CIMT) is a promising approach to promoting recovery of functional arm movement after stroke. The goal of this study is to evaluate and compare the treatment effect differences between CIMT groups before 6 months(subacute) and after 1 year(chronic)stroke patients. Method:The 30 stroke patients who had upper-limb hemiparesis were included. The groups were allocated either to subacute group(n=14) or chronic group(n=16) for according to duration of stroke. The two group patients were given CIMT, involving restriction of movement of the intact upper extremity by placing it in a sling for 90% of waking hours for 12 days and training(by repetitive practice, shaping) of the more affected extremity for 6 hours on the 10 weekdays during that period. Outcome was measured with upper extremity function test(UEFT). Result: No statistical significant difference was showed between the subacute and the chronic groups in motor improvement on the UEFT(Ρ0.05) pre- and post- CIMT treatment. However, the subacute group in treatment gain on the UEFT had statistically significant higher than the chronic group(Ρ0.05).The effect size for the subacute group(1.51) was larger than for the chronic group(0.89) at the quality of movement(UEFT). Conclusion: CIMT is an effective rehabilitation technique for subacute and chronic stroke patients, especially in subacute stroke patients.