Using kinematic analysis to evaluate constraint-induced Movement therapy in chronic stroke patients

Objective. This preliminary study aims to verify if the method of kinematic analysis proposed here may be suitable for evaluating the effects of constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) in chronic stroke patients and may be of help in the study of the mechanisms underlying functional improvement following CIMT. Methods. Clinical and kinematic data were collected from a group of chronic stroke patients and from an age-matched healthy control group. Affected and less affected upper-limb kinematics related to hand-to-mouth and reaching movements were acquired before and immediately after 2 weeks of CIMT. Healthy subjects were submitted to kinematic analysis of the nondominant side and reevaluated after 2 weeks. Results. The clinical results were consistent with those reported in the literature and showed motor function improvement of the hemiparetic limb after CIMT. Kinematic data of the healthy control group showed high test-retest reliability. Statistically significant differences between the affected li...