Parent's perception of constraint induced movement therapy in cerebral palsy management in rehabilitation centers of Lahore.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the perceptions of parents about constraint-induced movement therapy to treat their children with cerebral palsy.

METHODS

The qualitative study was conducted in three rehabilitation centres situated in Lahore, Pakistan, from January to July 2014, and comprised parents with enough experience of constraint-induced movement therapy. Therapy session was given to children with hemiplegic spastic cerebral palsy for 4 5 hours per day for at least a month. The interview was recorded and then transcribed verbatim.

RESULTS

There were 5 sets of parents whose children were aged 4-12 years. Five main themes emerged from the interviews and they were: child behaviour towards the therapy is variable; increase in cognitive level of the child; group therapy is more beneficial than individual therapy; after therapy the children developed a habit to use the affected hand in their activities; and other than change in the physical condition, parents also observed change in the social behaviour.

CONCLUSIONS

Constraint-induced movement therapy seemed to offer a promising opportunity to tackle and promote both social and physical outcomes in cerebral palsy children.