Abstract: ObjectiveTo explore the efficacy of constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) on motor function of upper extremity of chronic stroke patients.MethodsFifteen chronic stroke patients with hemiparesis (course of diseases more than 13.5 months) were treated by CIMT, involving restriction of movement of the intact upper extremity by placing it in a sling for 90% of waking hours for 12 days and training (by shaping) of the more affected extremity for 6 hours on the 10 workdays during that period. The therapeutic effect was evaluated with upper extremity function test (UEFT) and simple test for evaluating hand function (STEF).ResultsPatients showed a significant and very large degree of improvement after treatment on UEFT and STEF (ES, 0.8 and 0.5, respectively).ConclusionCIMT may be an efficacious method for improvement of the affected arm function of chronic stroke patients.

Key words: constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT), stroke, upper extremity