Efeito do treino de marcha em esteira no desempenho das habilidades deambulatórias em bebês, crianças e adolescentes com mielomeningocele

Abstract

Individuals with myelomeningocele (MMC) may present a series of structural changes that directly interfere with their functionality. Ambulation is often the most desired goal by both family members and the child with this condition. Interventions started early and with greater intensity can result in positive outcomes for individuals with disabilities. Therefore, walking should be promoted to increase the independence of these individuals. The practice of treadmill training stimulates the performance of more lower limb activity cycles, similar to the functional ability of walking. Objective: To conduct an integrative literature review to identify and group the effects of treadmill walking training on ambulatory skills performance in infants, children, and adolescents with MMC. Methods: Searches were conducted in the Pubmed, PEDro, Scielo, and Cochrane databases in April and May 2023. The descriptors used were "child," "spina bifida," "gait," "walking" and their variations, in both Portuguese and English. Results: Seven articles were included in this review. The main reported outcomes are associated with improvement in walking speed, gain in distance covered, enhancement of cardiovascular endurance, improvement in activation and muscular strength of lower limbs, and improvement in range of motion. Treadmill walking training is mainly conducted at home by parents, with support and guidance from therapists, with dosage ranging from 20 seconds to 60 minutes, performed 1 to 5 times per week, with intensity ranging from 0.15m/s to 0.83m/s, over a duration period of 1 day to 1 year. Conclusion: Treadmill walking training demonstrates improvements in the development of walking ability in infants, children, and adolescents with MMC. Future studies are needed to confirm the results of this review, due to the limited number of research and samples currently available.