Effect of strength and balance training in children with Down's syndrome: a randomized controlled trial

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the effect of exercise training on strength and balance in children with Down's syndrome. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: Rehabilitation school for special children. Subjects and intervention: Twenty-three children were randomized to intervention and control group. The intervention group (n = 12) underwent progressive resistive exercises for lower limbs and balance training for six weeks. The control group continued their regular activities followed at school. Outcome measure: A handheld dynamometer was used to measure the lower limb muscle strength. Balance was assessed by the balance subscale of Bruininks Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP). Results: Following the training, the children in the intervention group showed a statistically significant improvement (P < 0.05) in the lower limb strength of all the muscle groups assessed. The strength of knee extensors was 12.12 Ibs in the control group versus 18.4 Ibs in the experimental group; in hip flexors it was 12.34 Ibs in the control group versus 16.66 Ibs in the experimental group post-intervention. The balance of the children also improved significantly with an improvement in scores of the balance subscale of BOTMP (19.50 in the experimental group versus 9.00 in the control group, P = 0.001). Conclusion: This study suggests that a specific exercise training programme may improve the strength and balance in children with Down's syndrome