The Underwater Treadmill as a Physical Therapy Intervention for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Cerebral Palsy is a congenital and physical disability that leads into abnormal muscle tone, dyskinesia, and muscle spasticity, which can negatively impact functional gait patterns. Using the principles of activity based programs and repetitive task specific exercises involving a treadmill in physical therapy can replicate normal gait patterns, which can improve the quality of life. There is a scarcity of research that explores the effectiveness of underwater treadmill training as a form of physical therapy intervention. As such, the purpose of the study is to examine available research that studied the benefits of aquatic therapy, land based treadmill training, and underwater treadmill training on the gait patterns in children with cerebral palsy. The researchers conducted a review of literature that focuses on beneficial effects of physical therapy interventions such as aquatic exercise, resistance training, land‐based treadmill training, as well as underwater treadmill training; then ranked them using the Oxford Level of Evidence‐based Medicine. Based on the evidence gathered, we can conclude that the physiological benefits associated with aquatic therapy in combination with the repetitive task specific exercise used with treadmill training can improve mobility and functional gait patterns of children with cerebral palsy.