Bicycle ergometer versus treadmill on balance and gait parameters in children with hemophilia

Background and purposeChildren with hemophilia often bleed inside the joints and muscles, which may impair postural adjustments. These postural adjustments are necessary to control gait and postural balance during daily activities. The inability to quickly recover postural balance could elevate the risk of bleeding.So, the purpose of this study was to compare between the effects of bicycle ergometer and treadmill on balance and gait parameters in children with hemophilia.Materials and methodsThirty hemophilic boys with the ages ranging from 10 to 14 years had participated in this study. They were assigned randomly into two equal study groups. Group A received a designed physical therapy program and aerobic exercise training by bicycle ergometer. While group B received the same physical therapy program in addition to aerobic exercise training by the treadmill. Both groups received treatment sessions three times per week for three successive months. Stability indices and kinematic gait parameters were evaluated before and after three successive months of treatment.ResultsThere were non significant differences between the pre-treatment mean values of all measuring variables for the two groups. Significant improvement was observed in the two groups when comparing their pre and post treatment mean values. Also, significant differences were recorded when comparing the post treatment results of the two groups in favor of the study group B.ConclusionAerobic exercise, in the form of treadmill training for children with hemophilia, is an excellent supplement to regularly scheduled physical therapy intervention. It improves the degree of stability and gait parameters for those patients.