Article

The aims of this study are to quantify the movement limitation of
upper limbs in hemiplegic children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) by using a
clinical-functional scale and upper limb kinematics and to evaluate the
effectiveness of constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) on upper limbs.
DESIGN: Pre-post study. SETTING: Clinical rehabilitation research laboratory.
PARTICIPANTS: Ten children with TBI. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The participants were
evaluated by clinical examinations (Gross Motor Function Measure, Besta scale,
Quality of Upper Extremities Skills Test, and Manual Ability Classification
System) and 3D kinematic movement analysis of the upper limb before the CIMT
program (pretest: 0.7 years after the injury) and at the end of the program
(posttest: 10 weeks later). RESULTS: After the CIMT, most of the clinical
measures improved significantly. Some significant improvements were present in
terms of kinematics, in particular, in the movement duration and the velocity of
movement execution of both tasks; the index of curvature and the average jerk
improved, respectively, during reaching and hand-to-mouth task, while the
adjusting sway parameter decreased during the 2 movements. Significant
improvements were found in upper limb joint excursion after the rehabilitative
programme too. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the CIMT program can improve
movement efficiency and upper limb function in children after TBI. The integration of the clinical outcomes and upper limb kinematics revealed to be
crucial in detecting the effects of the CIMT programme.

Langue : ANGLAIS