Background: Few studies have reported the clinical effect of aquatic therapy in stroke rehabilitation. Therefore, we performed a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness of aquatic therapy for individuals affected by strokes.
Methods: This protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis has been drafted under the guidance of the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses protocols. This study will use the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED), China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), Wanfang Database, and Ongoing Clinical Trials Database. Quality assessment of the included studies was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool. We performed the meta-analysis by RevMan 5.4 software.
Results: The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Conclusion: Aquatic therapy may be a valid means for the rehabilitation of people affected by stroke.Open Science Framework registration number: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/ZKE3Y10.17605/OSF.IO/8UDV9.
Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.