Effect of Aquatic Therapy -Based Exercises on Motor Outcomes among Children Suffering from Spastic Hemiplegia

A. Ali, Eman; Abdel Sattar, Radia; Shawky Mahmud, Huda

doi:10.21608/ejhc.2021.238554

Effect of Aquatic Therapy -Based Exercises on Motor Outcomes among Children Suffering from Spastic Hemiplegia

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Assistant professor of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Ain shams University

² Lecturer of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Ain shams University

³ Lecturer of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Helwan University

10.21608/ejhc.2021.238554

Abstract

Spastic hemiplegia is a type of spastic cerebral palsy that affects one side of the body due
to damage to the part of the brain controlling movement. Children with spastic hemiplegia have
limited activities of daily living, such as dressing, feeding, and functional mobility, due to problems
with hand function Aim of the study was to measure the effect of aquatic therapy-based exercises
on motor outcomes among children suffering from spastic hemiplegia. A Quasi-experimental design
was utilized in this study. The setting was the Physiotherapy unit in Children's Hospital affiliated to
Ain Shams University Hospitals. Sample: A purposive sample consisted of 60 children with spastic
hemiplegia aged from 6 to 12 years was included in the study. Tools:1- A structured Interviewing
Questionnaire Sheet,2- Modified A shworth Scale,3- Range of Motion scale,4- Peabody
Developmental Motor Scale. Results: It was found that before aquatic therapy-based exercises the
mean muscle tone was 1.5±0.6 in the study group while after intervention it become 2.4±0.9 with a
percentage change of 50% (0%-200%) with a highly statistically significant difference between the
study and control groups (p value = < 0.001). Hand strength was improved in the study group more
than in the control group (56.6% vs 40% respectively), the highest improvement was in holding
objects with hands, followed by the ability to grasp objects. Conclusion: Evidence of reduction of
spasticity in children with spastic hemiplegia after 12 weeks of aquatic therapy-based
exercise. Recommendation: Replication of the study on large samples of children with spastic
hemiplegia in different places in Egypt.

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