What is constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT)?
A. CIMT involves the restraining of the unaffected limb to allow intensive, random practice of the affected limb. This approach attempts to overcome the phenomena of “learned disuse.” According to the original protocol, participants being considered for CIMT must have a minimum 20 wrist and 10 finger extension in their affected limb. Participants’ less affected upper limbs are restricted during 90% of waking hours for a 2 week period and the participants engage in 6-hour activity sessions on the 10 weekdays of the same two weeks. A less intensive “modified” protocol (mCIMT) is being trialed. The concept of CIMT is being applied in pediatric stroke and aphasia training. The evidence for CIMT is still being established and remains controversial. The EXITE Study (Extremity Constraint-Induced Therapy Evaluation presently in progress is a multi-site, single-blind RCT of CIMT in subacute stroke. Despite differing interpretations, most researchers in CIMT agree that repeated, task-specific pr
