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What is the long-term benefit of constraint-induced movement therapy? A four-year follow-up

Department of Rehabilitation, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Division of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, christina.brogardh{at}skane.se

Ulla-Britt Flansbjer

Department of Rehabilitation, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Division of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund

Jan Lexell

Department of Rehabilitation, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Division of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Department of Health Sciences, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden

Objective: To evaluate the long-term benefits of constraint-induced movement therapy in chronic stroke.

Design: A four-year follow-up after constraint-induced group therapy assessing arm and hand function and self-reported daily hand use.

Subjects: Fourteen post-stroke individuals (six women and eight men; mean age 59.6 ± 12.7 years, range 23—75 years) with mild to moderate impairments of hand function.

Outcome measures: The Sollerman hand function test and the Motor Activity Log test.

Results: Four years after constraint-induced group therapy the participants had maintained their hand function, as measured by the Sollerman hand function test. The self-reported use and quality of movements of the more affected hand, as measured by the Motor Activity Log test, had decreased compared to post-treatment and three months follow-up (P<0.01), but was still significantly higher than pre-treatment (P<0.05).

Conclusion: There seems to be a long-term benefit of constraint-induced group therapy. Hand function was maintained over time and daily hand use had increased compared to pre-treatment. To provide guidelines about the clinical use of constraint-induced movement therapy further, larger and controlled studies are needed.

This version was published on May 1, 2009

Clinical Rehabilitation, Vol. 23, No. 5, 418-423 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0269215508099861


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