Changes in Muscle Strength and Health Related Quality of Life in Chronic Stroke Subjects after Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT): A Comparative Study

Abstract

Background: One of the primary concerns in rehabilitation of stroke patients is to restore motor function in upper limb to perform the myriad of tasks in daily life. Stroke patients begin to compensate for difficult activities by using the unaffected arm, delaying recovery of function in affected arm. Purpose of the study: The purpose of this study is to find the effectiveness of Constraint Induced Movement Therapy - CIMT in improvement of upper limb function in stroke subjects. Methods and Design: Experimental Design. Participants: 30 sub-acute stroke subjects with dominant hand hemiplegia were selected in the study by convenient sampling method. Subjects were randomly assigned into group A and B receiving CIMT & strengthening exercises respectively for a period of 8 weeks. Prior to the study, all the subjects were assessed using a general assessment Performa and pre treatment ARAT and SS-QOL scores were measured. Results: There is significant difference between the effectiveness of CIMT and strengthening exercises in improving upper limb function and quality of life in stroke subjects. CIMT is found to be more effective in improving upper limb function than strengthening exercises whereas conventional exercises are more effective in improving the quality of life in stroke subjects. Conclusion: The clinical findings and the results shows that CIMT was more effective treatment than strengthening exercise in functional outcome and strengthening exercise was more effective than CIMT treatment in Quality of life domain.