The long-term effects of constraint-induced movement therapy on a stroke patient with moderate upper-extremity paresis in the acute phase

Abstract

We investigated the long-term effects of constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) among stroke patients in the acute phase, and combined it with electrical stimulation therapy for the patient with moderate upper-extremity paresis. After discharge from our hospital, we investigate upper-extremity function for one year and found an improvement in upper-extremity function and the amount and quality of arm use in real world activities both immediately and one year after intervention. The results indicate that using the CIMT in the acute phase after stroke onset might have long-term effectiveness. Since our findings represent only one case, it is necessary to expand the sample size and define similar problems in the future.