RT journal article
T1 Physical therapy in Down syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis
A1 Ruiz Gonzalez, Lorena
A1 Lucena Antón, David Manuel
A1 Salazar Couso, Alejandro
A1 Martín Valero, Rocío
A1 Moral Muñoz, José Antonio
A2 Enfermería y Fisioterapia
A2 Estadística e Investigación Operativa
K1 Down syndrome
K1 Intellectual disabilities
K1 Meta-analysis
K1 Physical therapy
K1 Physical therapy modalities
K1 Systematic review
AB Background Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal abnormality, with  a worldwide incidence of around 0.1% in live births. It is related to several conditions in which the physical therapy could take action-preventing comorbidities. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of physical therapy in Down syndrome, to know and compare the effectiveness of different physical therapy interventions in this population.Methods. A systematic review and a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials were conducted. The search was performed during June2018 in the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Physiotherapy Evidence Database and Scopus. The studies were selected using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale evaluated the quality of the methods used in the studies. Subsequently, the data were extracted, and statistical analysis was performed when possible.Results. A total of 27 articles were included, of which nine contributed information to the meta-analysis. Statistical analysis showed favourable results for the strength of upper and lower limbs [standardised meandifference (SMD) =1.46;95% confidence interval(CI): (0.77–2.15); and SMD =2.04;95% CI: (1.07–3.01)] and mediolateral oscillations of balance [SMD =-3.30;95% CI: (-5.34 to -1.26)].Conclusions. The results show the potential Benefit of certain types of physical therapy interventions, specifically in strength and balance, in people with Down syndrome. There are still many aspects to clarify and new lines of research.
PB Wiley
SN 0964-2633
YR 2019
FD 2019-08
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/31036
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/31036
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 10-nov-2026