Swimming to stability: water therapy tested for CP kids
NCT ID NCT07669350
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study will test whether a structured aquatic therapy program can improve balance in children aged 5 to 12 with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. Fifty participants will be split into two groups: one receiving water-based therapy and the other continuing standard land-based physiotherapy. Researchers will measure static and dynamic balance using a special balance system to see if the water approach offers extra benefits.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- aquatic therapy
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a safer, more effective way to improve balance and mobility in children with cerebral palsy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 50 participants, so results may not apply to all children. The therapy may not prove better than standard land-based exercises.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jun 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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5 to 12 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Confirmed diagnosis of spastic diplegic cerebral palsy by a paediatric neurologist or developmental paediatrician 2. Age between 5 and 12 years 3. Classified at GMFCS levels I-III 4. Bilateral lower limb spasticity with a Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) score of ≥ 1 Exclusion Criteria: 1. Athetoid, ataxic, or mixed-type cerebral palsy 2. GMFCS levels IV or V (non-ambulatory children) 3. Uncontrolled seizure disorder or epilepsy not managed by medication 4. Open wounds, skin infections, or active dermatological conditions contraindicating water immersion 5. Fear of water (aquaphobia) or inability to tolerate the aquatic environment
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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