Effectiveness of conventional physical therapy and backward chaining for improving functional independence in patients with down syndrome
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61581/mjsp.v7i03.406Keywords:
Down Syndrome, Functional Independence, Postural Balance, Rehabilitation, Randomized Controlled TrialAbstract
Objective: To compare the effectiveness of conventional physical therapy combined with treadmill training and the same intervention supplemented with backward chaining for improving functional independence in children with Down syndrome.
Methods: A RCT was performed at Kehkashan Educational and Training Centre for Special Children, Multan. There was 57 complete children (group A = 28; group B = 29) from a total of 60 enrolled children aged 4-8 years. The two groups were Group A (conventional physical therapy and backward chaining treadmill training) and Group B (conventional physical therapy and treadmill training). The sessions that both groups attended occurred four times a week for 20-40 minutes. The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) was used to measure functional independence. Paired and independent samples t-tests were performed to analyse the data using IBM SPSS Statistics 26.
Results: Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in total PEDI scores (Group A: 8.11 to 12.54, mean change = 4.429; Group B: 8.00 to 13.79, mean change = 5.793; both p < 0.001). Improvements were also significant in Self-Care, Mobility and Social Function in both groups (all p < 0.001). Group B completed a significant greater total score post intervention than Group A (13.79 vs. 12.54; p = 0.025). Total change scores also were different, 5.79 compared to 4.43, p = 0.007. However, there were no significant between-group differences in the changes that occurred with each individual domain.
Conclusions: Both interventions had positive effect on children with Down syndrome's functional independence. The combined backchaining with standard physical therapy and treadmill training, however, significantly improved overall PEDI scores, indicating a benefit in functional independence from the combined approach.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Sidra Choudhry, Sajid Rashid
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