The Effects of Aquatic Watsu Therapy on Gross Motor Performance and Quality of Life for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of Immersion and Watsu® therapy protocols on children with cerebral palsy. Gross motor function (GMF), spasticity (MAS), and Quality of Life (QoL) parameters of twenty-three children (age: 7.5±2.8, BMI: 17±3.7) were measured. Subjects received Watsu® therapy and Immersion protocols in Watsu-Immersion (W-I, n=12) and Immersion-Watsu (I-W n=11) groups in different periods based on a crossover design. The subjects received sessions for 30 minutes twice a week during 10-week experimental periods. The results were investigated with independent sample t-test and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, which showed that there was no evidence of carryover effects in GMFM 88 and QoL. In contrast, Watsu® improved GMFM 88 (p<0.05), Quality of Life (p<0.05), and MAS-Upper spasticity (p<0.05), scores significantly compared to immersion. The current results demonstrated the specific benefits of Watsu® therapy on children with CP, confirming the previous anecdotal reports. We recommend Watsu® as a safe and well-accepted complementary intervention for the management of CP.

The Aquatic WATSU® Therapy Program Improves the Quality of Life of an Adult Male with Autism Spectrum Disorder. A Case Report

“…Besides motor and physical fitness benefits, aquatic exercises improve relaxation, autonomy and negative behaviors (Kanupka et al, 2016;Marzouki et al, 2022;Zanobini & Solari, 2019). Water-based interventions are likely to enrich the afferent sensory input due to floatation, hydrostatic pressure, density, viscosity, resistance, and flow properties that reduce stress and improve neuro-motor and musculoskeletal conditions (Dubois, 2011;Tufekcioglu, 2020;Tufekcioglu et al, 2021a). These beneficial water properties contributes to the increased use of aquatic interventions (AI) in ASD as an interdisciplinary treatment component for self-confidence, self-esteem, language skills, motor learning, social skills, cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular functioning, (Battaglia et al, 2019;Marzouki et al, 2022Pan, 2011Yilmaz et al, 2004).…”

Percepción de los principios bioéticos aplicados en las prácticas hidroterapéuticas: ecos de los terapeutas

“…Respecto de los efectos de las intervenciones en el medio acuático, se ha detectado mejoras en la función pulmonar (5,6), en el sistema cardiorrespiratorio (7)(8)(9), en la calidad del sueño (10) y calidad de vida (11), en el sistema perceptivosensorial (12,13), en el sistema músculo-esquelético (14)(15)(16)(17), entre otros (18). La bioética según la OMS, es una disciplina que pretende aclarar las problemáticas éticas que surgen en los contextos cambiantes de la salud (19) y, considerando que existen diferencias entre las/os hidroterapeutas, desde la concepción de los enfoques de intervención, los niveles de formación requeridos para la atención de personas, entre otras, resulta menester analizar las prácticas hidroterapéuticas a la luz de los principios de la bioética.…”

Efficacy of aquatic exercise on pulmonary function and aquatic skills performance in older children with cerebral palsy. Randomised controlled study

“…Varieties of AqET approaches have been described [17][18][19], with the task-based techniques are more preferable because it facilitates movements, enhances sensory inputs, encourages active participation of the child [17,18] and improves physical performance and vital capacity in children with CP [15]. Although the beneficial physical and physiological effects of the AqET in children with CP; more research is still warranted in this area [20] and randomized-controlled studies comparing the effects of adding an AqET to the traditional care program of children with CP are needed [21].…”