Impact of physical activity on postural stability and coordination in children with posterior fossa tumor: randomized control phase III trial

Abstract

Background Posterior fossa tumor is a type of brain tumor that is located at the borders of both the brain stem and cerebellum. The cerebellum is the brain region in charge of balance and coordination. Pediatric patients diagnosed with posterior fossa tumor have been reported to fall frequently. Objectives The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of balance and coordination training in these children. Methods This randomized control clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04528316) was carried out between September 2020 and April 2021 at Children’s Cancer Hospital-57357. The inclusion criteria were patients with posterior fossa tumor in maintenance phase and, age between 5 and 12 years. The exclusion criteria were patients who had a genetic disorder or suffer from mental retardation, a chronic lung disease, severe cardiomyopathy, or a neuromuscular disease that does not relate to tumor. The study participants were randomly assigned into three groups: Group I/Control group: they received Pilates core stability exercises program, Group II/Postural stability group: they received the same program plus HUMAC balance program, and Group III/Coordination group: they received the same program plus coordination exercises of BOT-2. The semi-parametric proportional odds model was used to compare follow-up scores of the Postural stability group vs Control, and Coordination group vs Control, while adjusting for baseline values. All tests were two sided, with alpha set to 0.05. Results Sixty children including 38 boys and 22 girls were enrolled in this study. In all three groups, postural stability and coordination improved significantly in terms of modified clinical test of sensory integration of balance, center of pressure, limits of stability, bilateral coordination, and upper-limb coordination. Conclusion The current study supports the value of adding postural stability and coordination training to the physiotherapy plan for children with posterior fossa tumor. Trial registration number and date of registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04528316 on August 27, 2020.

Efficacy of dual‐task training on stability and function in children with ataxia after medulloblastoma resection: A randomized controlled trial

“…When the patient was on-target, the current target flashed green; when they were off-target, it flashed yellow. 27,29 In static conditions, it showed high reproducibility (ICC > .99). The absolute error was consistently under 6.60 mm.…”

“…Outcome measures : The percentage of time patients hold their COP in each of the eight directions. When the patient was on‐target, the current target flashed green; when they were off‐target, it flashed yellow 27,29 …”