Effects of Combined Water and Land Exercise Programs on Exercise Function and Functional Independency in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy |
Yong-Hee Lee, Joo-Ho Lee, Hyung-Kook Lee |
Korea Institute of Sport Science Sangmyung University |
Correspondence:
Hyung-Kook Lee, Email: kookcook@smu.ac.kr |
Received: 7 October 2013 • Accepted: 18 January 2014 |
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Abstract |
INTRODUCTION A combined water and land exercise programs may be a beneficial form of therapy for children with spastic cerebral palsy, particularly for those with significant movement limitations.
We investigated the effects of a combined water and land exercise programs on exercise function and functional independency in children with spastic cerebral palsy. METHOD The groups of this study were the water and land combined exercise group(n = 10, 5.1±.87 years, 93.50±3.56 cm, 13.55±1.49 kg) and the land exercise group(n = 10, 5.5±1.17yr, 95.10±2.92 cm, 14.90±1.46 kg). We measured sitting, crawling & kneeling, and total points as indices of exercise function. Functional independency was assessed using WeeFIM(Functional Independence Measure for Children). The water and land combined exercise group performed a water and land combined exercise program for twenty four weeks and the land exercise group only performed a land exercise therapy program for twenty four weeks. RESULTS The water and land combined exercise group demonstrated significantly greater(p< .05) gains in exercise function than the land exercise group, but there was no significant different between the water and land combined exercise and land exercise group in functional independency. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that combined water and land exercise may improves exercise function than land exercise in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Further studies utilizing other population and more subjects may confirm these results. |
Keywords:
Combined water and land exercise programs, spastic cerebral palsy, exercise function, functional independency |
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