Motor Recovery
- Motor recovery: the reacquisition of movement skills lost through injury1
Types of recovery
Spontaneous recovery
[Read more about spontaneous recovery] - Motor recovery can occur through Spontaneous recovery1
Function-induced recovery
Function-induced recovery (use-dependent cortical reorganization): refers to the nervous system’s ability to modify itself in response to changes in activity and the environment1.
Note: Stimulation early after injury is important to prevent learned nonuse
Interventions Patients 1+ year post-stroke respond positively to functional task-oriented training using CIMT. Locomotor training using partial body weight support, a treadmill, and early assisted limb movements has also been shown to promote function induced recovery (see Chapter 10: Interventions to Improve Locomotor Skills and Case Study 3) The elements essential for success with these interventions are that (1) practice is task specific and (2) practice is intense, with steady increases in duration and frequency. For example, in CIMT, the patient with stroke practices grasping and manipulating objects during daily tasks using the more affected UE 4 to 6 hours per day, every day. The less-affected UE may be constrained with a mitt, thereby preventing all attempts at compensatory movements.