Abstract / Summary
Background: Children with Down syndrome (DS) commonly present hypotonia, ligamentous laxity, and impaired postural control, which delay gross motor milestones and limit functional independence. Group-based, music-supported circuit kinetotherapy has been proposed as a feasible and engaging strategy to address these deficits, but comparative evidence in pediatric samples remains limited. Patients and methods: A prospective, exploratory pre–post intervention study with a non-randomized baseline control group was conducted in 20 children with trisomy 21 (aged 4–12 years), allocated by feasibility of attendance (not randomized) to an experimental group (n = 10) that completed a 12-week, once-weekly, 60-min music-assisted dynamic circuit program (seven stations targeting coordination, proprioception, postural alignment, and functional reach) and a control group (n = 10) that received no structured intervention and was assessed at baseline only (no post-intervention follow-up data were collected for this group). Outcomes included segmental limb circumferences, manual muscle testing (F1–F5) of six muscle groups, and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), assessed at baseline (T1) in both groups and after the intervention period (T2) in the experimental group only. Results: These within-group (pre–post) findings in the experimental group showed statistically significant increases in left arm circumference (contracted; p = 0.009, d = 0.25), left thigh circumference (p = 0.001, d = 0.16), right thigh circumference (p = 0.003, d = 0.17), iliopsoas manual muscle test scores (Wilcoxon p = 0.015; reported by Wilcoxon test only, as MMT is an ordinal scale), and total BBS score (from 41.4 ± 8.67 to 45.9 ± 7.85; t(9) = 6.40, p < 0.001, Wilcoxon p = 0.006, d = 0.54). Right arm circumference, triceps brachii, and elbow flexors showed positive but statistically non-significant trends (p = 0.081–0.346); pelvic fixation function and quadriceps femoris also did not reach significance, and the middle deltoid/supraspinatus grade showed a small, non-significant decrease after correction of a baseline data-entry error identified during peer review. No correction for multiple comparisons was applied, and post-intervention data were not available for the control group; these findings should therefore be interpreted as exploratory. Conclusions: A 12-week group circuit kinetotherapy program combined with musical stimulation was associated with measurable within-group gains in segmental limb circumference, hip-flexor strength, and functional postural balance in children with Down syndrome. Because post-intervention data were not available for the control group, these findings provide preliminary, exploratory evidence rather than confirmation of superiority over no intervention. Larger, randomized controlled trials with complete follow-up in both arms are warranted to confirm these findings.