Post chemotherapy balance exercises in childern with acute lymphoblastic leukemia / Radwa Mohamed Mohamed Zakaria Radwan ; Supervised Wafaa Hussein Borhan , Abdelmoneim Ahmed Abdelmoneim , Hussein Gamal Hussein Mogahed

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Physical Therapy - Department of Physical Therapy for Surgery

Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common type of, which is one of the side effects of chemotherapy. Purpose: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of static and dynamic balance exercises using both sides up (BOSU) ball on balance in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia 6 months after completing their chemotherapy treatment. Methods: Thirty child patients of both sexes (18 boys and 12 girls) aged childhood cancer. Children with this type of leukemia have poor postural balance between 5 to 8 years, who were selected from Benha Children Hospital with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and had chemotherapy treatment for 6 months participated in this study.They were randomly assigned to 2 groups of equal number: control group that underwent gait training therapy, and study group that underwent the same program in addition to static and dynamic balance training program by using both sides up ball, three sessions/ week for three successive months. Postural balance was assessed using pediatric balance scale at 3 different times, T1: one week before 1st chemotherapy dose (base line),T2: just after completing six successive months of chemotherapy treatment (pre-treatment), and T3: three successive months later after children received physiotherapy treatment (post-treatment).Results: After training, both groups showed a statistically significant improvement in all measured outcomes, with more improvement in favor to the study group. Conclusions: Balance exercises using both sides up (BOSU) ball is more effective in the treatment of balance impairment than gait training program only

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