Effects of a movement and swimming program on vital capacity and water orientation skills of children with cerebral palsy

Abstract

Swimming and aquatic exercise are known for their effects on respiration in normal and asthmatic people. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of a 6-month movement and swimming program on the respiratory function and water orientation skills of children with cerebral palsy (CP). Forty-six kindergarten children aged 5 to 7 years were assigned either to a treatment or control group. The intervention program consisted of swimming sessions twice weekly and sessions of group physical activity in a gym once weekly, each session lasting 30 minutes, for a period of 6 months. Children in the control group were treated (30 minutes, 4 days per week) with Bobath physical therapy. The children in the treatment and control groups had comparable disability types, age, and anthropometric measurements. A 2 x 2 (group x test period) repeated measures ANOVA design confirmed a significant effect of interaction of time with group. The results also confirmed that children with CP have reduced lung function compared with normative data for children in the same age category. The treatment program improved baseline vital capacity results by 65%, while children in the control group improved by only 23%. The movement and swimming exercise program had a better effect than a physical therapy routine implemented in a previous study, consisting of respiratory exercise alone.