{
  "abstract": "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.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department 2, Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Medicine and Pharmacy \"Iuliu Hatieganu\", 400023 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.",
    "Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Medicine and Pharmacy \"Iuliu Hatieganu\", 400023 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.",
    "2nd Pediatric Discipline, Mother and Child Department, Faculty of Medicine, Iuliu Haţieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400023 Cluj-Napoca, Romania."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Andreea-Liana Bot Rachisan",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2904-1810"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Bogdan Lucian"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Madalina-Alexandra Moga"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Diana-Flavia Jecan-Toader"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Mihaela Sparchez"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fj7zc9k4vw1dj.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/medsci14060666",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13707222",
  "id": "fj7zc9k4vw1dj",
  "issns": [
    "2076-3271"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930585",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2739|Down syndrome and intellectual disability research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221554659",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13707222?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13707222",
  "pmid": "42930585",
  "published": "2026-10-12",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fj7zc9k4vw1dj.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:22:01Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42930585",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930585"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2739|Down syndrome and intellectual disability research",
      "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Effects of a 12-Week Group Circuit-Based Kinetotherapy Program on Muscle Strength, Segmental Trophicity, and Postural Balance in Children with Down Syndrome: An Exploratory Pre-Post Intervention Study with a Baseline Comparison Group.",
  "title_text": "Effects of a 12-Week Group Circuit-Based Kinetotherapy Program on Muscle Strength, Segmental Trophicity, and Postural Balance in Children with Down Syndrome: An Exploratory Pre-Post Intervention Study with a Baseline Comparison Group.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:22:01Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fj7zc9k4vw1dj",
  "venue": "Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland)",
  "versions": []
}