ABSTRACT
Background/Aim: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent, chronic, and pervasive childhood disorder characterized by developmentally inappropriate activity level, impulsivity, and inability to sustain attention and concentration. Motor problems have also been found to be prevalent in children and adolescents with ADHD. Unfortunately, negative side effects have been recorded with the use of stimulant medication in the management of the disorder, thus shifting the focus to non pharmacological therapies such as physiotherapy interventions. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically review available evidence on the effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions in management of children and adolescents with ADHD. Methods: Electronic databases (Cochrane library, MEDLINE via OVID, CINAHL, Web of science core collections, African Journals Online (AJOL), Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), and Google Scholar) were systematically searched for studies on the use and effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions in managing ADHD in children and adolescents. The inclusion criteria comprised RCTs, pre-post studies, quasi experimental, cluster studies and only articles published in English. Quality appraisal was conducted using the PEDro scale for RCTs and Downs and Black checklist for non-RCTs. Narrative synthesis was used to present the findings of included studies. Results: Of the 9 studies included in this review, seven showed effectiveness for physiotherapy interventions. These interventions included hydrotherapy, treadmill training, manual therapy, table tennis training and physiotherapy in combination with verbal communication while task-oriented and therapist guided game-based interventions were found to be ineffective in managing ADHD symptoms. Conclusion: Majority of physiotherapy interventions have beneficial effects on different ADHD outcomes but there is still a need for further investigations to establish long-term benefits in future research. Registration: A review protocol was developed and registered with the PROSPERO database (ID: CRD42024515879). Keywords: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Physiotherapy interventions, Children, Adolescents.
