Aquatic Therapy for Persons with Neuromuscular Diseases – A Scoping Review

Aquatic exercise is among the most common physical activity modalities performed by people with disabilities. The present paper reviews currently-available research on aquatic therapy (AT) for persons with neuromuscular diseases (NMD). A scoping review of the existing literature was conducted on PubMed, Embase, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, SPORTdiscus, CINAHL and Lilacs from the earliest date available until October 2020. It follows the methodological framework for conducting a scoping review proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute. A total of 28 articles were analyzed and the study parameters grouped by the topography of NMD; most of the studies (n = 16) addressed myopathies. A considerable increase in the number of studies was found over time, and heterogeneity was identified across and within AT interventions for persons with NMD; hence, to allow more effective interpretation of study results, there is a need to standardize the fundamental parameters and procedures for aquatic therapy. This scoping review provides a comprehensive outline of available literature; the findings could serve as a starting point for clinical studies on the effects of AT on persons with NMD, and encourage a more coherent approach to their design.