Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 7, 2025
Author Spotlight: Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Combined with Movement Observation in Cerebral Palsy
Published on: August 9, 2024
Effects of mind-body exercise in children with cerebral palsy-A systematic review and meta-analysis
Ye Long1, Xinping Jiang1, Juan Li2
1Children Health Care and Rehabilitation Center, Loudi Central Hospital, Loudi, China.
Insights
Mind-body exercise shows promise for improving balance in children with cerebral palsy (CP). However, this meta-analysis found no significant benefits for walking function in pediatric CP patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Rehabilitation
- Neurology
- Exercise Science
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) affects motor function in children.
- Mind-body exercise interventions are increasingly studied for CP treatment.
- Existing research on mind-body exercise for CP yields inconsistent findings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically evaluate the efficacy of mind-body exercise in children with cerebral palsy (CP).
- To provide more conclusive evidence regarding the benefits of mind-body exercise for pediatric CP.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive meta-analysis of studies from major databases (PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, Web of Science, Ovid) up to May 2024.
- Data extraction and verification by two researchers, analyzing intervention details and outcomes.
- Statistical analysis using Review Manager 5.4 and StataNow/MP 18.5, with assessment of publication bias and result stability.
Main Results:
- Six studies with 173 pediatric patients were included.
- Mind-body exercise significantly improved balance function in children with CP (SMD = 0.48, P = 0.006).
- No significant effect was observed on walking function (SMD = -0.23, P = 0.58).
Conclusions:
- Mind-body exercise offers a potentially safe and convenient method to enhance balance in children with CP.
- Current evidence does not support a statistically significant benefit of mind-body exercise on walking function in this population.
- Further research may clarify the role of mind-body exercise in comprehensive CP rehabilitation programs.
Background And Purpose:
An increasing number of studies have investigated the efficacy of mind-body exercise in the treatment of children with cerebral palsy (CP). However, the findings of these researches have produced inconsistent results. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of mind-body exercise on children with CP in order to provide more conclusive results.
Materials And Methods:
A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, Web of Science, and Ovid databases from inception to May 2024. One researcher extracted the data, including first author, study type, country, year of publication, population, age, sample size, intervention details and outcomes, accuracy was verified by a second researcher. The included studies were analyzed using Review Manager 5.4 (RevMan 5.4) and StataNow/MP 18.5 software, with publication bias examined using funnel plots, and result stability assessed through sensitivity analysis.
Results:
A total of six eligible studies, comprising 173 patients, were included in the meta-analysis. The results of the meta-analysis indicated that mind-body exercise can improve balance function in children with CP (SMD = 0.48, P = 0.006). There was no significant difference in the effect of mind-body exercise on walking function in children with CP (SMD = -0.23, P = 0.58).
Conclusion:
Compared with routine care and rehabilitation, mind-body exercise may provide a safe and convenient approach to improving balance functions in children with CP, but showed no statistically significant beneficial effects on walking in children with CP.
Prospero Registration Number:
CRD42024534257.
