The Impact of Aquatic Therapy on Balance and Mobility in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Although the evidence was conflicting, earlier studies suggested that aquatic therapy (AT) may improve balance and mobility in people with spinal cord injuries (SCI). This population's comprehensive review and meta-analysis aimed to assess how AT affected mobility and balance. Methods: We thoroughly searched the most extensive databases to find pertinent observational studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) contrasting AT with control therapies. After extracting data, two impartial reviewers evaluated the quality of the study. Using a random-effects model, the mean difference (MD) in balance and mobility improvement was determined. \(I^{2}\) statistics were used to evaluate heterogeneity. Outcomes: The evaluation contained six studies. AT was considerably improved, as evidenced by the pooled MD for gait improvement of \(-0.33 (95% CI: -0.45 to -0.21)\). Additionally demonstrating a substantial effect of AT was the pooled MD for mobility improvement, which was \(-0.22 (95% CI: -0.42 to -0.02)\). On the other hand, the mobility data showed significant heterogeneity \((I^{2} = 72\%)\). Conclusion: The results imply that AT may considerably enhance movement and balance in people with SCI. The general results favor integrating assistive technology (AT) into rehabilitation programs for patients with spinal cord injuries (SCI), notwithstanding considerable variation in the research, especially about mobility. More investigation is required to investigate the causes of heterogeneity and enhance AT methods.