Everyone must have come across patients suffering from cerebrovascular Stroke, spinal cord injuries, or road traffic accidents causing neurological damage to their hands and legs.
To be honest, the after-effects are never pleasing, as patients often become dependent on their families for daily living activities (ADLs). Sooner or later, it starts affecting their mental health 
since recovering from such damages takes a long time and their never 
physical recovery.
CONSTRAINED INDUCED MOVEMENT THERAPY (CIMT)
Constrained Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) is a powerful approach that retrains both the brain and body to reclaim movement and function.
PRINCIPLE OF CIMT 
CIMT works based on the process of NEUROPLASTICITY.
In this therapy, when the affected or weaker side (For example: the right side) is used frequently by temporarily restricting the use of the unaffected or stronger side (For example: the left side) of the body.
This constrained approach successfully reactivates damaged areas of the brain, allowing it to relearn how to control and strengthen the affected side through intensive and targeted training. The effects are long lasting and improves the quality of life especially ADL’s such as dressing, eating, and writing.
CIMT PROGRAM TYPICALLY INVOLVES:
- Wearing a mitt or sling on the unaffected side (left side) for several hours a day to limit its usage.
- Engaging affected side (right side) in repetitive, task-oriented exercises and activities guided by the therapist.
- The difficulty level in tasks is gradually increasing.
- Commitment is the key to successfully regaining control over the damaged side of the body.
Tip: Healthy individuals can try practicing writing with their non-dominant hand for 21 days and witness the remarkable changes in their motor skills.
MBH/AB