Efectiveness of Rib Cage Mobility Exercises versus Conventional Physiotherapy on Trunk Impairment in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Randomized Trial Disha Parmar, Sanjay Parmar,* Praveen S. Bagalkot, Sayali Joshi, & Lakshita Shah Department of Pediatrics, SDM University, Dharwad, India *Address all correspondence to: Sanjay Parmar, Professor, PhD, PDF, SDM University, Dharwad, India; Tel.: +0836-2462253; +0836-2477615; Fax: +(0836)2462253, E-mail: sanjaytparmar777@gmail.com ABSTRACT: This study was conducted to determine the efectiveness of rib cage mobility exer- cises and conventional physiotherapy on trunk impairment in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. In this single-blind study, children were randomly allocated (n = 25) into two groups. Group A (n = 15) participated in conventional Physiotherapy and Group B (n = 10) participated in rib cage mobility exercises and conventional therapy. The intervention was conducted 5 days a week for a period of 4 weeks. A signifcant diference was found on gross motor function mea- sure 88 (GMFM-88) (P = 0.008), on segmental assessment of trunk control (SATCo) active (P = 0.041) and SATCo reactive (P = 0.009) at week 4 for group A. Group B indicated signifcant changes on GMFM-88 (P = 0.002), on SATCo active (P = 0.0040) on SATCo reactive (P = 0.024) at week 4. Within-group showed a statistically signifcant diference, for the above-mentioned components. The between-group analysis did not show a statistically signifcant diference. The minimal clinically important diference was found to be probable for groups A and B. Interven- tion targeting trunk control in the form of exercises are helpful in early age children. Rib cage mobility exercises did not show signifcant change although may be studied in a larger sample and older children. KEY WORDS: chest wall exercises, segmental assessment of trunk control, gross motor func- tion measure 88, rib cage mobility, neurodevelopmental disorders. I. INTRODUCTION Neurodevelopmental is a dynamic inter-relationship between genetic, brain, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral processes across the developmental lifespan. Signifcant and persistent disruption to this dynamic process through environmental and genetic risk can lead to neuro-developmental disorder (NDD). 1 The diagnosis of NDD requires a fexible approach to patient treatment. 2 NDD includes disorders like Cerebral Palsy, Rett syn- drome, Down’s syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, etc. Prevalence of NDD in specifc sites of India ranges from 2.9% to 18.7% in 2 to less than 6 years old children. 3 NDD afects CNS function during the developmental period and the efect is seen in domains of motor skills, cognition, behavior, and communication. 0896-2960/22/$35.00 © 2022 by Begell House, Inc. www.begellhouse.com 23 Critical Reviews™ in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, 34(4):23 –37 (2022)