“I got knowledge of myself and my prospects for leading an easier life”: Stroke patients’ experience of training with lower-limb CIMT

Abstract

Rehabilitation after stroke has changed and more studies with intensive therapy have been conducted. When a new method – here lower-limb constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) – is introduced, it is important to investigate participants’ own experience of the therapy. The present purpose was accordingly to describe stroke patients’ experience of training with lower-limb CIMT. Qualitative interviews with seven stroke patients who had participated in lower-limb CIMT were conducted. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed with qualitative content analysis. One theme, knowledge of myself and my prospects for leading an easier life, emerged. Two main categories were found: the therapy and me and my body, with four and three categories respectively. The therapy comprised the informants’ experience of preparation for CIMT, the actual intensive training and its effects, and their views on the physiotherapists involved. Me and my body comprised the informants’ reflections on their own significance for the therapy, how the reflections had affected them and what insight into their condition CIMT had given. The informants reported that CIMT for the lower extremity gave them knowledge of their body and their prospects for leading an easier life. The intensive training instilled hope, since the functional improvements showed the possibilities of improvements, increasing the respondents’ independence and self-esteem. Even though the intensive training is tough, it was experienced as entirely necessary.

Key words::

• constraint-induced movement therapy
• interview
• qualitative content analysis
• rehabilitation

Acknowledgements

We thank the informants who so generously shared their experiences with us. We also want to thank Annika Sefastsson and Sara Vive at Katarinakliniken, Stockholm, Sweden, for their support. The study was supported with grants from Research and Public Health and the Research Centre for Primary Care, Värmland County Council, Karlstad, Sweden and the Enoch Danielsson Foundation, Torsby, Sweden.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.