Investigation of the Effects of Exercise Program Applied on Postoperative Period in Patients With Chiari Type 1 Malformation

This study will be conducted in Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine Neurosurgery Department and Hacettepe University Faculty of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation.

The study was designed as a randomized controlled trial. At the beginning of the study, demographic data and characteristics of the cases will be recorded. Patients will be evaluated in three different periods throughout the study. The first assessments will be performed on the first day after the patient's condition is appropriate after the surgical procedure for Type 1 CM. Following this evaluation, all patients will be divided into two groups using. a simple randomization method. The first group will be exercised for 6 weeks while the second group will not be intervened during this period and will be followed as a control group. Immediately after the exercise program administered to the first group after 6 weeks, both groups will undergo second assessments. After these assessment measures, the same exercise program in the first group will be applied to the second group only this time for 6 weeks. In the meantime, the first group will stop their exercise programs. After the 6-week exercise program of the second group has ended, both groups will be given the third assessment, the final assessment.

"The study will be conducted in individuals aged 18-65 years who have been diagnosed with Type 1 CM by the physician and have been decided to undergo surgery for this diagnosis. In our study whose primary outcome parameters were determined as "Neck Disability Index" and "Visual Analogue Scale minimum, the minimum sample width required to reach 95% -99% power was six individuals in total. For various reasons (patient withdrawal, etc.), the rate of withdrawal from the study was predicted to be 25%. Accordingly, the study was decided to be conducted with a total of eight individuals.

Patients with a history of primary neurological disease other than Chiari Type 1 Malformation, severe cognitive impairment (> 24 from Mini-Mental State Assessment), peripheral vestibular problem, and history of orthopedic surgery will not be included in the study.

The data will be evaluated using SPSS for Windows 22.00. Descriptive statistics will be presented as a minimum, average, median, standard deviation, maximum and categorical variables for numerical variables and as percentages. The suitability of the variables to normal distribution will be examined by the Shapiro-Wilk normality test. Whether the groups (Group 1, Group 2) are similar in terms of gender will be examined by the Pearson Chi-Square Test when the prerequisites are met, and Fisher's exact test if not. By the cross-pass research design, the block, period, trial and sequence effects will be analyzed with a mixed effect model.