<p><strong>Background:</strong> Hydrotherapy according to Halliwick concept is a physiotherapeutic intervention technique for disabled patients and for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Assessing the balance in children with cerebral palsy (CP) is an extremely complex process and more difficult to evaluate the results of some therapeutic interventions in these patients. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of Halliwick based Hydrotherapy on the support base in children with CP. Several studies have proven the beneficial effects of hydrotherapy in the respiratory system of children, but few are studies that report the effect on the balance of children with CP.</p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> The study involved 16 children diagnosed with CP. The 10 children were following a Halliwick Concept hydrotherapy program and the 6 children classical physiotherapy program for 3 months. Their balance was assessed with the Berg, GMFM, and footprint plate. The assessment was performed at the start of the program (pre-test) and after 3 months (post-test).</p><p><strong>Results</strong>: Τhere is a statistically significant change between the 1^st and 2^nd measurement with the BERG and GMFM tools and better for the water intervention group. The change in the support base between the 1st and 2nd measurement was better in the water intervention group but not statistically significant.</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> The results of the study showed that hydrotherapy according to Halliwick has positive effects on gross mobility and the balance of children with CP. It also appears to have a positive effect on changing the support base compared to classical physiotherapy.</p>

The brain is a system with multidimensional organization and architecture and requires a continuous supply of blood in order to normally function. If blood flow is interrupted for more than a few seconds, the brain is deprived of blood and oxygen, causing death in nerve cells in the affected area. Stroke in children after birth appears even more rarely than in adults. For the study, 10 children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (7 boys and 3 girls) participated (mean age 10, 9 years), from the “General Hospital Hippocratio” of Thessaloniki, according to the inclusion criteria. The strength of the upper extremity was measured using the Jamar dynamometer and for the assessment of the balance the pediatric balance scale (PBS) affected and contralateral hands, results were analyzed and compared with norms for age and sex and related to the affected balance. It was found that the strength of the non-affected upper extremities was also reduced according to the data of the normal children and the balance was also affected because of the stroke. Physiotherapy programs may include exercises that give emphasis on the non-affected upper extremities, more similar research must be done on a bigger population.

Hippotherapy is used in physiotherapy as a treatment that takes advantage of the unique characteristics of the horses' walk impulses and triggers movement responses in patients sitting on the horse's back. The research evidence for application of hippotherapy at people with neurological deficits and disabilities is sparse. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and inflammatory disease that affects the neurons of the Central Nervous System. The aim of this review article was to presents the effect of hippotherapy at people with MS. PubMed, Science Direct, Pedro, Total and National Institute Hi.K.E.R., and Google Scholar were searched from 2005 to 2021. Out of 271 studies, 14 were included. The results showed that hippotherapy has a positive impact on the motor function, the walking cycle, the endurance, the balance, and the orthostatic control of people with MS. Further research must be done in a greater scale and investigate the way hippotherapy affects the quality of life, the self-confidence and the social inclusion of people with MS. In summary, the application of hippotherapy in people with MS contributes positively to the progression of the disease and enhances the functionality of individuals.

No abstract

Objective: The aim of the present review is to identify the safety of an exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation program in patients after myocardial infarction. Materials and Methods: The PubMed/Medline and Scopus/Elsevier electronic databases were searched. A search strategy was developed based on the intersection of 2 search themes: cardiac rehabilitation program and exercise safety. Results: The articles that finally met all the inclusion criteria and were analyzed, after the screening of the title, the summary and the whole text, were 4. A total of 180.946 patients who received cardiac rehabilitation were examined in this review and 124 complications were occurred: 71 cardiac arrests (11 fatal), 15 myocardial infarctions (2 fatal), and 31 non-life-threatening patients: angina, ventricular tachycardia, 1 orthopedic injury and 4 deaths from cardiorespiratory disorder. Discussion: The present review has demonstrated that individualized and prescribed exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation is safe and recommended. The complications of these programs appear to be of low risk and with no statistical importance. The exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation when combined with patient participation, proper equipment and educated physicians present a very safe clinical approach to cardiovascular patients.