Constraint therapy
Published April 2013
Download the full evidence summary PDF: WTE Constraint therapy
PLEASE NOTE: This summary was produced more than 4 years ago. Information provided may be out of date. If you think it would be helpful to update this summary please contact us at pencru@exeter.ac.uk
What were we asked?
A parent wanted to know if there was any evidence that constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT) was effective at improving manual ability in children with hemiplegia.
Key findings
- The best available evidence for CIMT found positive treatment effects on functional ability in children with hemiplegia.
- However, it has been suggested that these improvements are only due to the high intensity of the training exercises.
- One study which found no positive treatment effect for CIMT involved only 3 hours of therapy per day.
- There are concerns about the impact of restraint on the unaffected arm.
- Bimanual training is another therapy for hemiplegia which has been compared to CIMT. It involves exercises using both arms; no restraint is used.
- This therapy has been found to be equally effective as CIMT, and it may have a greater positive impact on the child’s everyday life as both arms are involved in the therapy.
