Constraint-induced Movement Research Articles

Video game rehabilitation for outpatient stroke (VIGoROUS): A multi-site randomized controlled trial of in-home, self-managed, upper-extremity therapy.

SummaryBackgroundIntegrating behavioral intervention into motor rehabilitation is essential for improving paretic arm use in daily life. Demands on therapist time limit adoption of behavioral programs like Constraint-Induced Movement (CI) therapy, however. Self-managed motor practice could free therapist time for behavioral intervention, but there remains insufficient evidence of efficacy for a self-management approach.MethodsThis completed, parallel, five-site, pragmatic, single-blind trial established the comparative effectiveness of using in-home gaming self-management as a vehicle to redirect valuable therapist time towards behavioral intervention. Community-dwelling adults with post-stroke (>6 months) mild/moderate upper extremity hemiparesis were randomized to receive one of 4 different interventions over a 3-week period: 5 h of behaviorally-focused intervention plus gaming self-management (Self-Gaming), the same with additional behaviorally-focused telerehabilitation (Tele-Gaming), 5 h of Traditional motor-focused rehabilitation, or 35 h of CI therapy. Primary outcomes assessed everyday arm use (Motor Activity Log Quality of Movement, MAL) and motor speed/function (Wolf Motor Function Test, WMFT) immediately before treatment, immediately after treatment, and 6 months later. Intent-to-treat analyses were implemented with linear mixed-effects models on data gathered from March 15, 2016 to November 21, 2019. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02631850.ResultsOf 193 enrolled participants, 167 began treatment and were analyzed, 150 (90%) completed treatment, and 115 (69%) completed follow-up. Tele-Gaming and Self-Gaming produced clinically meaningful MAL gains that were 1·0 points (95% CI 0·8 to 1·3) and 0·8 points (95% CI 0·5 to 1·0) larger than Traditional care, respectively. Self-Gaming was less effective than CI therapy (-0·4 points, 95% CI -0·6 to -0·2), whereas Tele-Gaming was not (-0·2 points, 95% CI -0·4 to 0·1). Six-month retention of MAL gains across all groups was 57%. All had similar clinically-meaningful WMFT gains; six-month retention of WMFT gains was 92%.InterpretationSelf-managed motor-gaming with behavioral telehealth visits has outcomes similar to in-clinic CI therapy. It addresses most access barriers, requiring just one-fifth as much therapist time that is redirected towards behavioral interventions that enhance the paretic arm's involvement in daily life.Funding10.13039/100006093PCORI, NIH

Timing and Dose of Upper Limb Motor Intervention After Stroke: A Systematic Review.

This systematic review aimed to investigate timing, dose, and efficacy of upper limb intervention during the first 6 months poststroke. Three online databases were searched up to July 2020. Titles/abstracts/full-text were reviewed independently by 2 authors. Randomized and nonrandomized studies that enrolled people within the first 6 months poststroke, aimed to improve upper limb recovery, and completed preintervention and postintervention assessments were included. Risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane reporting tools. Studies were examined by timing (recovery epoch), dose, and intervention type. Two hundred and sixty-one studies were included, representing 228 (n=9704 participants) unique data sets. The number of studies completed increased from one (n=37 participants) between 1980 and 1984 to 91 (n=4417 participants) between 2015 and 2019. Timing of intervention start has not changed (median 38 days, interquartile range [IQR], 22-66) and study sample size remains small (median n=30, IQR 20-48). Most studies were rated high risk of bias (62%). Study participants were enrolled at different recovery epochs: 1 hyperacute (<24 hours), 13 acute (1-7 days), 176 early subacute (8-90 days), 34 late subacute (91-180 days), and 4 were unable to be classified to an epoch. For both the intervention and control groups, the median dose was 45 (IQR, 600-1430) min/session, 1 (IQR, 1-1) session/d, 5 (IQR, 5-5) d/wk for 4 (IQR, 3-5) weeks. The most common interventions tested were electromechanical (n=55 studies), electrical stimulation (n=38 studies), and constraint-induced movement (n=28 studies) therapies. Despite a large and growing body of research, intervention dose and sample size of included studies were often too small to detect clinically important effects. Furthermore, interventions remain focused on subacute stroke recovery with little change in recent decades. A united research agenda that establishes a clear biological understanding of timing, dose, and intervention type is needed to progress stroke recovery research. Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews ID: CRD42018019367/CRD42018111629.

小児脳梗塞後患者に対する2度のmodified Constraint-induced movement therapyの経験

小児脳梗塞後患者に対する2度のmodified Constraint-induced movement therapyの経験

Subacute stroke physical rehabilitation evidence in activities of daily living outcomes: A systematic review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.

Stroke is a leading cause of disabilities worldwide. One of the key disciplines in stroke rehabilitation is physical therapy which is primarily aimed at restoring and maintaining activities of daily living (ADL). Several meta-analyses have found different interventions improving functional capacity and reducing disability. To systematically evaluate existing evidence, from published systematic reviews of meta-analyses, of subacute physical rehabilitation interventions in (ADLs) for stroke patients. Umbrella review on meta-analyses of RCTs ADLs in MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane, and Google Scholar up to April 2018. Two reviewers independently applied inclusion criteria to select potential systematic reviews of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of physical rehabilitation interventions (during subacute phase) reporting results in ADLs. Two reviewers independently extracted name of the 1st author, year of publication, physical intervention, outcome(s), total number of participants, and number of studies from each eligible meta-analysis. The number of subjects (intervention and control), ADL outcome, and effect sizes were extracted from each study. Fifty-five meta-analyses on 21 subacute rehabilitation interventions presented in 30 different publications involving a total of 314 RCTs for 13,787 subjects were identified. Standardized mean differences (SMDs), 95% confidence intervals (fixed and random effects models), 95% prediction intervals, and statistical heterogeneity (I and Q test) were calculated. Virtual reality, constraint-induced movement, augmented exercises therapy, and transcranial direct current stimulation interventions resulted statistically significant (P < .05) with moderate improvements (0.5 ≤ SMD ≤ 0.8) and no heterogeneity (I = 0%). Moxibustion, Tai Chi, and acupuncture presented best improvements (SMD > 0.8) but with considerable heterogeneity (I2 > 75%). Only acupuncture reached "suggestive" level of evidence. Despite the range of interventions available for stroke rehabilitation in subacute phase, there is lack of high-quality evidence in meta-analyses, highlighting the need of further research reporting ADL outcomes.

Efficacy of Constraint-Induced Movement on Improving Upper Functional Ability Motor Skills among Patients after Stroke

Stroke is a common cause of death and long-term disability. Neuro rehabilitation is a process to promote recovery and/or compensate for functional alterations especially if initiated early after stroke. Constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT) is deemed as an excellent therapy effectively applied on acute stroke stage for restoring motor function of upper extremities. Therefore, the aim of the study was to examine the efficacy of constraint induced movement (CIM) in improving upper functional ability motor skills among patients after stroke. Method: Quasi-experimental research design was conducted in neurology department (stroke unit) at Mansoura University Hospital. A purposive sample of 100 adult patients of both sexes with cerebrovascular stroke, who corresponded to inclusion criteria were assigned randomly into two equal groups (study and control). Tools: Three tools were utilized to collect data pertinent to the study, namely; Biosociodemographic data, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and Barthel Index scale (BI). Results: The patients in study group showed significantly greater improvement in functional ability one month after baseline P< 0.05 & also as in control group. Conclusion: constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT) applied for patients early post stroke produced statistically significant improvements in functional ability /status. Recommendation: Applying constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT) in an outpatient rehabilitation setting for person with less motor recovery using a collaborative functional approach between team members, the stroke survivor, and the family

Gross motor ability predicts response to upper extremity rehabilitation in chronic stroke

The majority of rehabilitation research focuses on the comparative effectiveness of different interventions in groups of patients, while much less is currently known regarding individual factors that predict response to rehabilitation. In a recent article, the authors presented a prognostic model to identify the sensorimotor characteristics predictive of the extent of motor recovery after Constraint-Induced Movement (CI) therapy amongst individuals with chronic mild-to-moderate motor deficit using the enhanced probabilistic neural network (EPNN). This follow-up paper examines which participant characteristics are robust predictors of rehabilitation response irrespective of the training modality. To accomplish this, EPNN was first applied to predict treatment response amongst individuals who received a virtual-reality gaming intervention (utilizing the same enrollment criteria as the prior study). The combinations of predictors that yield high predictive validity for both therapies, using their respective datasets, were then identified. High predictive classification accuracy was achieved for both the gaming (94.7%) and combined datasets (94.5%). Though CI therapy employed primarily fine-motor training tasks and the gaming intervention emphasized gross-motor practice, larger improvements in gross motor function were observed within both datasets. Poorer gross motor ability at pre-treatment predicted better rehabilitation response in both the gaming and combined datasets. The conclusion of this research is that for individuals with chronic mild-to-moderate upper extremity hemiparesis, residual deficits in gross motor function are highly responsive to motor restorative interventions, irrespective of the modality of training.

A Multi-Center Randomized Controlled Trial of Pediatric Constraint-Induced (P-Cimt) Movement Therapy

A Multi-Center Randomized Controlled Trial of Pediatric Constraint-Induced (P-Cimt) Movement Therapy

Sit-to-Stand in People with Stroke: Effect of Lower Limb Constraint-Induced Movement Strategies.

Background. Weight-bearing asymmetry and impaired balance may contribute to the increased fall risk in people with stroke when rising to stand from sitting. Objective. This study investigated the effect of constraint-induced movement (CIM) strategies on weight-bearing symmetry and balance during sit-to-stand in people with stroke. Methods. A nonrandom convenience sample of fifteen people with stroke performed the sit-to-stand task using three CIM strategies including a solid or compliant (foam) block strategy, with the unaffected limb placed on the block, and an asymmetrical foot position strategy, with the unaffected limb placed ahead of the affected limb. Duration of the task, affected limb weight-bearing, and centre of pressure and centre of mass displacement were measured in the frontal and sagittal plane. Results. Affected limb weight-bearing was increased and frontal plane centre of pressure and centre of mass moved toward the affected limb compared to baseline with all CIM strategies. Centre of mass displacement in the sagittal plane was greater with the compliant block and asymmetrical foot strategies. Conclusions. The CIM strategies demonstrated greater loading of the affected limb and movement of the centre of pressure and centre of mass toward the affected limb. The compliant block and asymmetrical foot conditions may challenge sagittal plane balance during sit-to-stand in people with stroke.

1P1-E19 3次元反力提示ロボットを用いた上肢リハビリ訓練・評価支援システムの開発 : CI療法における負荷抵抗訓練

We are developing the training and evaluation support system for upper limbs using 3D force display robot. This robot is introduced to resistance training performed in CI (Constraint-Induced movement) therapy. For this purpose, the resistance force control method is proposed to imitate three types of training programs, namely step mode, slope mode and wall mode, performed by a therapist. And two types of braces are developed for patients. In this system a therapist can make various training trajectories suitable to a patient's conditions by using the teaching and guided function and easily set the training programs' parameters suitable for patients. This system can be expected to reduce therapist's burden in CI therapy.

Reliability and Validity of the Upper-Extremity Motor Activity Log-14 for Measuring Real-World Arm Use

In research on Constraint-Induced Movement (CI) therapy, a structured interview, the Motor Activity Log (MAL), is used to assess how stroke survivors use their more-impaired arm outside the laboratory. This article examines the psychometrics of the 14-item version of this instrument in 2 chronic stroke samples with mild-to-moderate upper-extremity hemiparesis. Participants (n=41) in the first study completed MALs before and after CI therapy or a placebo control procedure. In addition, caregivers independently completed a MAL on the participants. Participants (n=27) in the second study completed MALs and wore accelerometers that monitored their arm movements for 3 days outside the laboratory before and after an automated form of CI therapy. Validity of the participant MAL Quality of Movement (QOM) scale was supported. Correlations between pretreatment-to-posttreatment change scores on the participant QOM scale and caregiver MAL QOM scale, caregiver MAL amount of use (AOU) scale, and accelerometer recordings were 0.70, 0.73, and 0.91 (P<0.01), respectively. Internal consistency (alpha>0.81), test-retest reliability (r>0.91), stability, and responsiveness (ratio>3) of the participant QOM scale were also supported. The participant AOU and caregiver QOM and AOU scales were internally consistent, stable, and sensitive, but were not reliable. The participant MAL QOM scale can be used exclusively to reliably and validly measure real-world, upper-extremity rehabilitation outcome and functional status in chronic stroke patients with mild-to-moderate hemiparesis.

Plastic changes of motor network after constraint-induced movement therapy.

The effects of short-term constraint-induced movement (CIM) therapy on the activation of the motor network were investigated with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Movement of the less-affected arms of five patients was restricted and intensive training of the affected upper limb was performed. Functional MRI was acquired before and after two-weeks of CIM therapy. All patients showed significant improvement of motor function in their paretic limbs after CIM therapy. For three patients, new activation in the contralateral motor/premotor cortices was observed after CIM therapy. Increased activation of the ipsilateral motor cortex and SMA was observed in the other patient. Our results demonstrated that plastic changes of the motor network occurred as a neural basis of the improvement subsequent to CIM therapy following brain injury.

Effects of upper extremity exercise training using biofeedback and constraint-induced movement on the upper extremity function of hemiplegic patients

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of exercise training using biofeedback and constraint-induced movement on the upper extremity function of hemiplegic patients. A non-equivalent pretest-posttest design was used. Study subjects were a conveniently selected group of 40 hemiplegic patients(20 experimental subjects, 20 control subjects) who have been enrolled in two community health centers. After biofeedback training the subjects of experimental group were given constraint-induced movement, involving restraint of unaffected U/E in a sling for about 6 hours in a day over a period of two weeks, while at the same time intensively training the affected U/E. Outcomes were evaluated on the basis of the U/E motor ability(hand function, grip power, pinch power, U/E ROMs), and motor activity(amount, quality). 1. After 2 weeks of treatment, the motor abilities of affected U/E(hand function, grip power, pinch power, ROMs of wrist flexion, elbow flexion and shoulder flexion/extension) were significantly higher in subjects who participated in exercise training than in subjects in the control group with no decrement at 4-week follow-up. However, there was no significant difference in wrist extension between experimental or control group. 2. After 2 weeks of treatment, the amount of use and the quality of motor activity of affected U/E were significantly higher in subjects who participated in exercise training than in subjects in the control group with no decrement at 4-week follow-up. The above results state that exercise training using biofeedback and constraint-induced movement could be an effective intervention for improving U/E function of chronic hemiplegic patients. Long-term studies are needed to determine the lasting effects of constraint-induced movement.

Exploring a repetitive training regime for upper limb hemiparesis in an in-patient setting: a report on three case studies

Primary objective : To explore the efficacy of a task-oriented repetitive training protocol (RTx) in chronic hemiparetic patients in an in-patient rehabilitation unit. Research design : Three case studies; ABAB design (A=RTx; B=regular rehabilitation programme; 1 week per phase, respectively) in case P1, pre-post intervention comparison in case P2; repeated measure design in case P3. Methods and procedures : Daily training of task-oriented affected hand movements using shaping procedures developed in Constraint-Induced (CI) Movement Therapy. Patients 1 and 2 were trained daily for 90 minutes over 2 weeks. Patient 3 received 60 minutes of daily training for a period of 4 weeks. Outcome measures were Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT), Frenchay Arm Test, nine-hole peg test, upper extremity MRC, and grip force. Main outcomes and results : Substantial clinical benefits were achieved in all patients. The subjective observations mirrored significant improvements in the outcome parameters. Conclusion : The affected hand training improves upper limb motor functions in chronic patients. It is a 'practicable' approach for in-patient rehabilitation units.

Does the Application of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy During Acute Rehabilitation Reduce Arm Impairment After Ischemic Stroke?

Motor dysfunction after unilateral deafferentation in primates can be overcome by restraining the unaffected limb. We asked whether a constraint-induced movement (CIM) program could be implemented within 2 weeks after stroke and whether CIM is more effective than traditional upper-extremity (UE) therapies during this period. Twenty-three persons were enrolled in a pilot randomized, controlled trial that compared CIM with traditional therapies. A blinded observer rated the primary end point, the Action Research Arm Test (ARA). Inclusion criteria were the following: ischemic stroke within 14 days, persistent hemiparesis, evidence of preserved cognitive function, and presence of a protective motor response. Differences between the groups were compared by using Student's t tests, ANCOVA, and Mann-Whitney U: tests. Twenty subjects completed the 14-day treatment. Two adverse outcomes, a recurrent stroke and a death, occurred in the traditional group; 1 CIM subject met rehabilitation goals and was discharged before completing 14 inpatient days. The CIM treatment group had significantly higher scores on total ARA and pinch subscale scores (P:<0.05). Differences in the mean ARA grip, grasp, and gross movement subscale scores did not reach statistical significance. UE activities of daily living performance was not significantly different between groups, and no subject withdrew because of pain or frustration. A clinical trial of CIM therapy during acute rehabilitation is feasible. CIM was associated with less arm impairment at the end of treatment. Long-term studies are needed to determine whether CIM early after stroke is superior to traditional therapies.