Casting
Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (“CIMT” or “CI Therapy”) provides effective rehabilitation for children with neurological conditions who have one arm that is weaker than the other.
CIMT involves intensive practice with the affected side, while restraining the unaffected side in a light weight cast. The cast is worn 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the duration of the CIMT programme (3 or 4 weeks). The purpose of the cast is to allow complete focus on the affected side, without distracting the child. By using a cast we ensure consistent attention on the unaffected side, which has been shown to influence cortical reorganisation.
Every child that we have worked with has adapted quickly to wearing the cast and there are no detrimental effects on the child’s emotional well-being or on their unaffected side.