Current Approaches to Improve Balance in Down Syndrome Population-A Systematic Review

Down syndrome is one of the most common chromosomal disorders in pediatrics characterized by variable intellectual disability, generalized joint laxity, and hypotonia that compromises their function and causes a delay in developing gross motor skills, poor balance, and coordination. Thus, this study aims to determine the current yet effective treatment approaches to improve balance in the Down syndrome population. The studies were explored across seven electronic databases that include MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Scopus, PEDro, and Web of Science from inception till October 2020 comprised of experimental studies published in English language investigating the effects on balance in children and adults diagnosed with DS considering different interventions. A total of 1,570 records were retrieved from seven electronic databases published between the year's tenure of 2013-2020. 144 full-text papers were extracted to be reviewed, of which only 18 experimental studies were selected on the basis of inclusion criteria that involved 493 Down syndrome patients, investigated the effects of therapeutic exercises, manual therapy techniques, and patient-related instructions on standardized balance scales/tests. It was concluded that all the included trials demonstrated significantly profound effects in improving the static and dynamic balance of Down syndrome patients. Therefore, none of the interventions is declared as superior to another in terms of obtained results. Furthermore, these diverse interventions need to be investigated more for better understating and generalizability of outcomes

Exercise response on dose curve among class I obese young adult population

Objective: To identify exercise regimes having a short duration and yet incorporating the effects of both aerobic and resistance exercises. Method: The randomised study was conducted from December 1, 2019, to April 31, 2020, at Ziauddin Hospital, Karachi, and comprised individuals of either gender aged 20-40 years with class-I obesity. All participants were initially screened using a physical activity and readiness questionnaire to determine if they were fit to perform the exercises. Subsequently, dynamic exercises were introduced based on the guidelines of the American College of Sports Medicine. The subjects were randomised into aerobic group A, resistance group B and dynamic resistance group C. The intervention lasted 12 weeks. The quantification of exercises was done using the frequency, intensity, time, and type protocol. Results: The results were analysed on MedCalc statistical software. Out of the 102 participants, 51(50%) each were males and females. Each of the three groups had 34(33.3%) subjects; 17(50%) males and as many females. The impact was significant in all the three groups (p<0.05). The effect was significantly better in group C than groups A and B. Conclusion: Body mass index and body fat percentage values improved through aerobic, resistance and dynamic resistance exercises. Key Words: Exercise, Body fat mass, Obesity, BMI. Continuous..

Improving Motor Proficiency in Children with Developmental Delays: A Meta-Analysis Evaluating the Impact of Motor Skills Interventions

This study investigated the impact of motor skill interventions in improving motor proficiency among children with developmental delays following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis “PRISMA” recommendations. The included studies were searched on four databases: Google Scholar, PEDro, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library. Studies published during the year 2012 to 2022 were selected. The data was extracted by defining the publication year, type of study design, targeted population, and type of physical therapy intervention. The outcome measures included four components of motor proficiency: bilateral coordination, balance, speed and agility, and strength. The results revealed statistically significant findings and a large effect size for bilateral coordination (SMD=1.003, CI=95%) and speed and agility (SMD=0.854, CI=95%). However, a smaller effect size with significant findings was observed in the balance domains (SMD=0.333, CI=95%) and strength (SMD=0.337, CI=95%). Despite the promising results of the analyzed interventions, some of the included studies observed a high risk of bias. However, it is evident from the analysis that protocols directed toward advanced approaches have shown more promising results than traditional physical exercise regimens

The Impact of Immersive and Non-Immersive Virtual Reality Trends in Sensorimotor Recovery of Post-Stroke Patients-A Meta-Analysis

Virtual Reality (VR) is an approach in stroke rehabilitation with ever-improving technological advancement for targeted motor rehabilitation by providing a user interface in a simulated environment with proprioceptive and visual feedback. This meta-analysis intended to evaluate the impact of immersive and non-immersive VR-based interventions compared to conventional rehabilitation in sensorimotor recovery following stroke. Randomized Controlled Trials based on the impact of VR, either immersive or non-immersive type in comparison to conventional rehabilitation on post-stroke patients (&gt;18 years) sensorimotor recovery were searched on six databases including Google Scholar, PEDro, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Web of Science from August to November 2020. A total of 17 randomized controlled trials on VR based intervention showed significant improvement in sensorimotor recovery following a stroke in overall FMA outcomes in comparison to the control group with pool effects in terms of SMD in a random effect model showed an impact of 0.498 at 95% CI (p&lt;0.001) depicts a moderate effect size. An immersive and non-immersive emerging VR trend appears to be a promising therapeutic tool in sensorimotor recovery following stroke