Effects of rebound exercises on balance and mobility of people with neurological disorders: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic rebound exercise is gaining popularity among the general population, but its effectiveness in individuals with neurological impairments remains uncertain. To shed light on this, a systematic review was conducted between November 2021 and March 2023 to study the impact of rebound exercise on balance and mobility in this group. METHODS: Six databases were searched. Studies were included if written in English, peer-reviewed, had original research data and assessed the effect of rebound exercise in adults with neurological disorders. The outcomes measured were balance and mobility. Two reviewers independently appraised study quality using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program for Randomized Controlled Trials. Finally, a meta-summary of the included studies was completed, and a meta-analysis was performed using RevMan software version 5.3 to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. RESULTS: Five studies were included comprising 130 participants aged 31.32±7.67 to 58±12 years, 72% male and 28% female. Participants were in-patients with stroke (49%), multiple sclerosis (24%), Parkinson's disease (15%) and spinal cord injury (12%). The included papers had moderate to high methodological quality. The timed up-and-go test revealed that the rebound group participants could walk 6.08 seconds quicker over three to eight weeks. Pooled results show that rebound exercise significantly improves mobility (-0.53[-0.94, -0.11], p = 0.01), but no significant improvement was observed in balance. CONCLUSION: Rebound exercise has shown the potential to improve mobility in people with neurological disorders. However, the findings should be in the context that the included studies are few and participants were in in-patient settings. PROSPERO registration: CRD42021298030.

Annual Baseline King-Devick Oculomotor Function Testing Is Needed Due to Scores Varying by Age.

OBJECTIVE: To document baseline King-Devick (K-D) oculomotor function scores for male and female participants aged between 4 and 20 years old. METHODS: Utilising a cross section of schools, rugby clubs and gymnastic clubs, 1936 participants (1300 male, 636 female) completed the spiral-bound K-D test for the identification of disturbed oculomotor function. RESULTS: This study identified that overall, the baseline scores of the K-D test became faster by 1.4 (0.3 to 4.5) s per year, when compared with the previous age group in the same number of reading card groups. When comparing normative values of the original K-D validation study with the same age groups of the current cohort, participants aged 6 to 11 years recorded a faster baseline time (range 3.5 to 8.6 s), while those in the 12 to 14 years. age group recorded slower baseline times (range -3.9 to -7.9 s). DISCUSSION: In general, there were age group differences, but not sex differences, for K-D test times in the current cohort. Analysis of single card times, across all age groups, showed changes likely due to improved reading time. CONCLUSION: The results support the need for individualised annual pre-injury baseline testing of the K-D test.