INTRODUCTION: At present, physical therapists use a growing number of interventions to treat children with cerebral palsy. Recently, aquatic training seems to be gaining in popularity for use with this population. The aim of this paper was to systematically review the available evidence regarding the effectiveness of aquatic interventions for children with cerebral palsy. METHODS: The databases PubMed, CINAHL, PEDro, SPORTDiscus and Cochrane Library were searched for relevant articles and each included article was rated using the PEDro scale. RESULTS: Ten articles met inclusion criteria. One case report, three case series, one cohort study, three non-randomized trials and two randomized controlled trials were found. Across all studies, beneficial effects on functioning, activity, or participation were reported. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence examined suggested that aquatic interventions are beneficial for children and adolescents with cerebral palsy, particularly in the function and activity dimensions. However, more well-designed trials are required in order to draw definite conclusions on the effectiveness of aquatic interventions for children with cerebral palsy.

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