Extremity Constraint Induced Therapy Evaluation Trial

The first national, randomized, single-blind study to systematically test a neurorehabilitation therapy - constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT) - among patients with the ability to initiate extension movements at the wrist and fingers and who had experienced a first stroke within 3 to 9 months prior to enrollment. Participants recruited from 247 clinics nationwide were randomized to receive CIMT to the more impaired upper extremity for two weeks upon enrollment or to receive the identical intervention 15-21 months post-stroke. Outcome measures were the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) and Motor Activity Log (MAL) for functional improvements and the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS) for health-related quality of life.