Rebound for Respiratory
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A single case study to explore the impact of community-based rebound therapy on chest health outcomes in school aged children and young people (4-19 years old) with neurodisability and respiratory issues.
IRAS ID
298426
Contact name
Jonathan Marsden
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Plymouth
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The study asks: Does rebound therapy improve chest health outcomes in school aged children and young people (CYP) with neurodisability and respiratory issues?
Why is this study important?
Neurodisability represents a group of conditions associated with impairment of the nervous system and is one of the largest populations of childhood disability in the UK. Within this population, respiratory illness is the most common reason to attend primary care consultation, emergency hospital admission and intensive care, accruing significant healthcare costs. Moreover, it remains the primary cause of death in CYP with cerebral palsy.What intervention will we explore?
Participation in exercise plays an important role in the prevention and management of respiratory illness in CYP with neurodisability. Rebound therapy is a popular form of therapeutic exercise using trampolines to facilitate movement. It is highly accessible to CYP, where exercise participation is otherwise limited. Existing studies have shown rebound therapy may improve muscle tone, balance, sitting position, behaviour and quality of life in CYP with neurodisability. Additional chest health benefits have been observed in other populations, but has yet to be established in CYP with neurodisability.How will we do this?
The study duration will be 18 consecutive weeks and will invite CYP aged 4-19 years, with neurodisability and respiratory issues to take part. The study will comprise of 6 weeks of baseline measures whilst continuing usual care, followed by 6 weeks of rebound therapy, twice weekly in school, alongside usual care, with a final follow up 6 weeks after completing rebound therapy.What will we measure?
Clinical measurements will be completed in clinic at the start of the study, before and after rebound therapy and at follow up. Measurements will include caregiver-reported chest health and well-being and observational posture assessment. Additional weekly chest health measurements will be taken in school using a non-invasive medical device, OptiBreathe.Five children and young people were recruited and completed this study. Findings indicated there were no significant changes in respiratory observations following 6 weeks of rebound therapy.
Findings observed trending improvements in parent-reported respiratory symptoms and parent-reported child's quality of life during the study. This was supported further by qualitative interview data. However, these results could not be directly attributed to the rebound therapy.
Findings observed some improvement in movement ability across the case studies that could be attributed to the rebound therapy, although these were more convincing in cases where children were more mildly affected by their motor disability.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/YH/0171
Date of REC Opinion
9 Nov 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion