RESUMO
This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of therapeutic exercise plus patient therapeutic education on perceived fatigue, functional capacity and pain in breast cancer survivors with cancer-related fatigue. A randomised, single-blind, clinical trial was conducted with a total of 80 breast cancer survivors who presented cancer-related fatigue. Women were randomised into a supervised therapeutic exercise group (STE-G) (n = 40) or an unsupervised exercise group (UE-G) (n = 40). Both interventions included patient therapeutic education and were delivered in three sessions per week over eight weeks. The main outcome was perceived fatigue as assessed by the Spanish version of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue subscale (FACIT-F). Other evaluated outcomes were pain measured on a visual analogue scale, and distance measured using the 6-Minute Walk Test. Data were collected at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at three and six months after baseline. Significantly greater improvements across all variables were observed in the STE-G throughout the entire follow-up period with the exception of pain. Conclusions: A supervised therapeutic exercise program plus patient therapeutic education significantly reduce perceived fatigue and increase functional capacity in breast cancer survivors suffering from cancer-related fatigue compared to an unsupervised physical exercise program based on individual preferences with patient therapeutic education.
RESUMO
Pediatric palliative care (PPC) is a set of actions aimed at children who suffer from a severe or life-threatening disease to alleviate the symptoms of the disease and improve the quality of life of both the child and his/her family. One of the tools used to control symptoms is physiotherapy; however, its application in the child population has not been thoroughly studied. The main objective of this study was to gather, analyze, and critically evaluate the available scientific evidence on physiotherapy in children who require palliative care through a systematic review of the studies published in the last 10 years in the following databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, PEDro, CINAHL, and Scopus. Of a total of 622 studies, the inclusion criteria were only met by seven articles, which were focused on the relationship between physiotherapy and PPC. This study analyzed: (1) the main pathologies treated, with a predominance of cerebral palsy and cancer; (2) the interventions applied, such as respiratory physiotherapy, neurological physiotherapy, therapeutic massage, and virtual reality; (3) the effects achieved in the child and his/her family, highlighting the control of symptoms and the improvement of the quality of life; and (4) the knowledge of the physiotherapists on PPC, observing that most of the professionals had not received training in this scope. The findings of this review indicate a lack of an adequate evidence foundation for physiotherapy in PPC.
RESUMO
Resumen La parálisis cerebral y el síndrome de Down son dos afecciones que cursan con déficit del desarrollo motor. Este retraso mejora con el uso de cinta rodante. Se realizó una revisión sistemática en dife rentes bases de datos con el propósito de analizar estudios y s u calidad metodológica en relación a la aplicación del uso exclusivo de cinta rodante y su combinación con otras terapias para fomentar la marcha y equilibrio en niños menores de 12 años con parálisis cerebral y síndrome de Down. Se seleccionaron únicamente ensayos clínicos aleatorizados publicados hasta la fecha en PubMed, PEDro, Cochrane y Science Direct. La calidad me todológica de los estudios identificados se evaluó a través de la escala PEDro. De los 324 artículos inicialmente encontrados, se seleccionaron los 10 que cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión establecidos para su análisis cualitativo. Las variables analizadas fueron la marcha y el equilibrio en ambas poblaciones tras la intervención con cinta rodante, con y sin suspensión del peso corporal. Concluimos que la aplicación de cinta rodante como única herramienta terapéutica resulta una intervención eficaz para favorecer el desarrollo de la marcha y el equilibrio en niños de 0 a12 años con parálisis cerebral y síndrome de Down.
Abstract Cerebral palsy and Down syndrome are two conditions that present with a deficit in motor development. Treadmill interventions were found to improve this delay in development. This work aimed to describe and analyze the methodological quality of studies that applied treadmill interventions alone or combined with other therapies to promote gait and balance in children under 12 years of age with cerebral palsy and Down syndrome. A systematic review was made in different databases: PubMed, PEDro, Cochrane and Science Direct. Only randomized clinical trials published to date were selected. The methodological quality of the identified studies was assessed using the PEDro scale. Of the 324 articles initially found, 10 were selected, which met the established inclusion criteria for qualitative analysis. The variables analyzed were gait and bal ance in both populations after the treadmill intervention, with and without suspension of body weight. The main conclusion was that the application of a treadmill alone is an effective intervention to promote the development of gait and balance in children under 12 years with cerebral palsy and Down syndrome.