ANÁLISE DOS EFEITOS DA FISIOTERAPIA AQUÁTICA NAS FUNÇÕES DE MARCHA E EQUILÍBRIO EM PACIENTES PÓS-AVE: REVISÃO DE LITERATURA

Abstract

Objective: For this reason, the objective of this review is to analyze the possible effects of aquatic physiotherapy on balance and gait in post-stroke patients. Methods: The methodology used was by means of literature review, carried out by the databases Pubmed, PEDro, Scielo, Scopus, Lilacs and Medline, articles published between the years 2010 and 2020, in English and Portuguese, were selected. descriptors found by Decs: stroke, hydrotherapy, balance and gait, and Mesh: stroke, hydrotherapy, balance and gait. The inclusion criteria were original articles related to patients with stroke who underwent Aquatic Physiotherapy with gait and balance analysis. The exclusion criteria were the absence of predetermined variables and articles that did not have the full text. Results: 4250 articles were found, of which 4225 were excluded, and 25 complete articles were counted for analysis. At the end of the research, only 16 articles that performed aquatic intervention in individuals with stroke were part of this review. Twelve of these studies had positive results, three had partially positive results and one had negative results regarding its initial objective. Studies have shown aquatic therapy methods in isolation or in combination with terrestrial exercise. Much of the positive results found were from the combined techniques. Conclusion: the analyzed data suggest that Aquatic Physiotherapy, combined with exercises performed on the ground, can be beneficial for improving gait and balance function in patients after stroke, in addition to providing them with a good quality of life.