Studies of aquatic exercise (aerobic, anaerobic, strength or other) in children or adolescents with cerebral palsy were eligible for inclusion. Studies had to report at least one of the following outcomes: body function, activities, or participation.
All participants had spastic cerebral palsy. Most patients had gross motor function classification system (GMFCS) levels between I and III. Ages ranged from 2 to 21 years. All studies used an intervention with an aerobic component; half the studies also used an anaerobic component and the other half used a strength component. Interventions were mostly given 2 or 3 times a week, for between 30 and 60 minutes, over a 6 to 14 week duration.
The authors did not state how many reviewers selected studies.