Bimanual Versus Constraint Therapy in Hemiplegia

Research was conducted comparing two groups of children ranging from 3.5 to 10 years old (42 in total) with hemiplegia. The children were randomly assigned to receive 90 hours of constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT) or 90 hours of bimanual training (HABIT). Following the training, both the CIMT and HABIT resulted in improved hand function as seen in scores on the Jebsen-Taylor Test of Hand Function (JTTHF) and Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA) scores. In addition, the Goal Attainment Scales revealed greater progress toward goals with the HABIT group. The researchers concluded that both treatment interventions, CIMT and HABIT, resulted in similar improvements in hand function with the HABIT possibly improving more on self determined goals.

Reference: Gordon AM, Hung YC, Brandao M, Ferre CL, Kuo HC, Friel K, Petra E, Chinnan A, Charles JR. Bimanual Training and Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy in Children With Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Trial. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2011 Jun 23. [Epub ahead of print]