The effects of simultaneous use of task-oriented training and constraint-induced movement therapy on upper limb motor performance in hemiplegic adult patients

Stroke is one of the most common life-threatening neurologic disorders and is among the most important causes of disability in adult life. Unilateral upper limb motor impairment is one of the main causes of dependence in daily living activities. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the effects of simultaneously using both task-oriented exercise and constraint-induces movement therapy on adult hemiplegic patients’ upper limb performance. In this semi empirical-intervention study، 26 patients with CVA، who aged 40 to 65 years، were recruited from occupational therapy clinics and rehabilitation centers of Qazvin، Iran using convenience sampling. They performed task-oriented exercises 1 hour a day، while simultaneously under went 5 hours of CIMT، 3 days a week for 8 weeks. Fugl-Meyer test and Action Research Arm Test were used to evaluate upper limb motor performance. Paired t test was conducted for statistical analysis of data using SPSS 18 (α = 0. 05). Evaluation results showed significant improvements in upper limb functioning following the simultaneous use of task oriented training and CIMT. The results of this study indicate that simultaneous use of task oriented training and CIMT can be viewed as an effective way to improve the performance of the upper limb of stroke patients.