Systematic review reveals favorable but heterogeneous functional outcomes from physical therapy in young people with myelomeningocele, indicating a need for more definitive evidence.
Key Points
To systematically review physical therapy interventions and functional outcomes across ICF domains in children and adolescents with myelomeningocele, while appraising study quality and evidence levels.
Searched MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science, PEDro, and BVS databases from inception through May 2026.
Assessed methodological quality using Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) appraisal tools and graded evidence levels using Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine criteria.
Included 36 studies comprising 532 participants aged between 1 month and 18 years.
Electrical stimulation (n = 9), treadmill training (n = 4), and whole-body vibration (n = 3) were the most frequently evaluated interventions.
Methodological appraisal categorized 18 studies as high quality, 10 as moderate quality, and 8 as low quality, showing domain-specific improvements for electrical stimulation, treadmill training, serial casting, and laser therapy amid high study heterogeneity.