Critical analysis of randomized clinical trials in aquatic physical therapy applied to neurological patients

Abstract

Purpose: to carry out a systematic literature review in order to find evidence of the efficiency of aquatic therapy for neurologically impaired patients with motor disorders; to critically analyze the randomized clinical trials (RCT) identified. Methods: Identification of RCT through electronic sources, and critical analysis of the RCT according to the Delphi checklist. Results: the method of randomization was found in only one out of six studies, which leads to the conclusion that this method is not used in a consistent manner by clinical studies on the topic. Thus, future research should employ the randomization method for the allocation of patients, for there are no restrictions for its usage in physiotherapeutic studies. In addition, the majority of the studies presented similar groups in terms of the most significant prognostic indicators of the patients, and all papers provided enough information about the eligibility criteria, intention to treat and statistical analysis (point estimates and measures of variability), which ensures the quality of the studies. Conclusion: there is no clear evidence in the literature about the benefits of aquatic physical therapy when applied to neurologically impaired patients with motor disorders. Given this gap in the literature, it becomes essential to develop a RCT in order to assess the effects of aquatic physical therapy on patients with specific neurological dysfunctions