Pediatric Constraint Induced Movement Therapy: Harnessing Adaptive Neuroplasticity

Pediatric Constraint Induced Movement Therapy: Harnessing Adaptive Neuroplasticity.

Constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT) has emerged as a popular treatment for hemiparesis in children. Although clinical programs are of varying lengths and intensities and the method of constraint varies, in general, positive results are reported. Despite the difficulty inherent in studying the effects of any therapy in children, due the variability and complexity of brain injury and the a...

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.

Treatment of congenital hemiparesis with pediatric constraint-induced movement therapy.

To determine efficacy of pediatric Constraint-Induced Movement therapy, 20 children with congenital hemiparesis (ages 2 to 6 years) were randomly assigned to receive the treatment or usual care. Controls crossed over to the therapy after 6 months. Children receiving the therapy first exhibited emergence of more new classes of motor patterns and skills (eg, crawling, thumb-forefinger prehension;...