Early recumbent treadmill training can promote the recovery of balance and functional independence of children after stem cell transplantation / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To observe any effect of early recumbent treadmill training on the balance and functional independence during hospitalization of children who have received hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).Methods:This was a retrospective analysis of 106 children who had received HSCT. Sixty-nine of them were qualified for study. Of those, 32 had performed recumbent treadmill training and the other 37 had not. The children in both groups received routine clinical treatment and nursing care, and also health education advocating exercise and giving exercise programs before and after the transplantation. The daily exercise was conducted with the help of parents. It lasted 20 to 30 minutes each time, 4 or 5 times a week. The treadmill group additionally spent 30 minutes training on a recumbent treadmill 5 times a week for 6 weeks. Balance, functional independence and fatigue levels were quantified before and after the treatment using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM) and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory-Multidimensional Fatigue Scale.Results:After the 6 weeks, significant improvement was observed in the experimental group′s average BBS score, motor function domain score, total WeeFIM score, general fatigue, and sleep/rest fatigue. All were then significantly better than the non-treadmill group′s results.Conclusion:Early recumbent treadmill training can promote the recovery of balance and functional independence of children after HSCT.