Article

OBJECTIVE: To summarize evidence on the effects of aquatic therapy on mobility in
individuals with neurological diseases. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycInfo,
CENTRAL, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, PEDro, PsycBITE and OT Seeker were searched from
inception to 15 September 2014. Hand-searching of reference lists was performed
in the selected studies.
REVIEW METHODS: The search included randomized
controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies that investigated the use of
aquatic therapy and its effect on mobility of adults with neurological diseases.
One reviewer screened titles and abstracts of retrieved studies from the search
strategy. Two reviewers independently examined the full texts and conducted the
study selection, data extraction and quality assessment. A narrative synthesis of
data was applied to summarize information from included studies. The Downs and
Black Scale was used to assess methodological quality. RESULTS: A total of 116
articles were obtained for full text eligibility. Twenty studies met the
specified inclusion criteria: four Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs), four
non-randomized studies and 12 before-and-after tests. Two RCTs (30 patients with
stroke in the aquatic therapy groups), three non-randomized studies and three
before-and-after studies showed "fair" evidence that aquatic therapy increases
dynamic balance in participants with some neurological disorders. One RCT (seven
patients with stroke in the aquatic therapy group) and two before-and-after tests
(20 patients with multiple sclerosis) demonstrated "fair" evidence on improvement
of gait speed after aquatic therapy. CONCLUSION:
Our synthesis showed "fair"
evidence supporting the use of aquatic therapy to improve dynamic balance and
gait speed in adults with certain neurological conditions.
CI - (c) The Author(s) 2014.

Langue : ANGLAIS