An equine-assisted therapy intervention to improve pain, range of motion, and quality of life in adults and older adults with arthritis: A randomized controlled trial.
Abstract: To compare equine-assisted therapy to exercise education on pain, range of motion, and quality of life in adults and older adults with arthritis. Quality of life for adults and older adults is negatively impacted by arthritis pain, stiffness, and decreased function. Equine-assisted therapy provides unique movements to the rider's joints and muscles improving pain, range of motion, and quality of life and has improved outcomes in balance, gait, strength, functional mobility, and spasticity for older adults, stroke, spinal cord injury, and multiple sclerosis patients. No research has investigated the effects on adults and older adults with arthritis. Twenty adults and older adults with arthritis recruited from rheumatology clinics participated in a randomized controlled trial for six weeks. Participants and research assistants were blinded to assignment. Standardized valid and reliable instruments were used to measure pain, range of motion, and quality of life targeting back, knees, shoulders, and hips. Mean age was 63.85 (SD 6.885, 53-75) years. Pain significantly improved in shoulders (p = 0.007), hips (p = 0.027), and back (p = 0.006), not knees (p = 0.061). Range of motion improved for back (p = 0.02), hips (p = 0.04), shoulders (p = 0.005) and not knees. Quality of life improved for upper limb (p = 0.002), lower limb (p = 0.021), and affect (p = 0.030), not social interaction and symptoms. This randomized controlled trial provides evidence that equine-assisted therapy decreases pain, and improves range of motion, and quality of life for adults and older adults with arthritis. Further fully powered research with cost/benefit outcomes would be beneficial.
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2019-07-10 PubMed ID: 31495419DOI: 10.1016/j.apnr.2019.07.002Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research article investigates the impact of equine-assisted therapy on pain, range of motion, and quality of life in adults and older adults with arthritis, compared to traditional exercise education. The study found that this form of therapy significantly improved these parameters in participants, suggesting its potential for effective management of arthritis symptoms.
Study Design and Participants
- The study was a randomized controlled trial conducted over six weeks.
- It involved twenty adults and older adults with arthritis. These participants were recruited from rheumatology clinics.
- The age of the participants ranged from 53 to 75 years with a mean age of approximately 64 years.
- Both the participants and research assistants were unaware of the assignment to treatment groups, ensuring the blinding of the trial.
Measures and Findings
- Using standardized, reliable instruments, measures of pain, range of motion, and quality of life particularly in the back, knees, shoulders, and hips were obtained.
- Significant improvements were recorded in shoulder, hip, and back pain. Knee pain did not show any significant changes.
- In terms of range of motion, noticeable improvements were observed in the back, hips, and shoulders, but not in the knees.
- Quality of life improvement was registered in the upper and lower limbs and emotional state (affect). Social interaction and physical symptoms, however, did not show significant improvement.
Conclusion and Recommendations
- The trial provided evidence on the effectiveness of equine-assisted therapy in alleviating pain, improving range of motion, and enhancing the quality of life in adults and older adults suffering from arthritis.
- The researchers recommend further research on a larger scale to confirm these findings as well as studies to analyze cost/benefit outcomes to determine the economic feasibility of this therapy.
Cite This Article
APA
White-Lewis S, Johnson R, Ye S, Russell C.
(2019).
An equine-assisted therapy intervention to improve pain, range of motion, and quality of life in adults and older adults with arthritis: A randomized controlled trial.
Appl Nurs Res, 49, 5-12.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnr.2019.07.002 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- School of Nursing and Health Studies, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2464 Charlotte Street, Kansas City, MO 64108, United States of America. Electronic address: whitelewiss@umkc.edu.
- Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction, MU College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, 900 East Campus Drive, Columbia, MO 65201, United States of America. Electronic address: rajohnson@missouri.edu.
- School of Nursing and Health Studies, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2464 Charlotte Street, Kansas City, MO 64108, United States of America. Electronic address: yesa@umkc.edu.
- School of Nursing and Health Studies, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2464 Charlotte Street, Kansas City, MO 64108, United States of America. Electronic address: russellc@umkc.edu.
MeSH Terms
- Aged
- Back Pain / therapy
- Equine-Assisted Therapy
- Humans
- Knee Joint / physiopathology
- Middle Aged
- Quality of Life
- Range of Motion, Articular
- Shoulder Joint / physiopathology
Citations
This article has been cited 8 times.- Stergiou AN, Ploumis A, Kamtsios S, Markozannes G, Christodoulou P, Varvarousis DN. Effects of Equine-Assisted Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Clin Med 2025 May 26;14(11).
- Hanson MR, Alm K, Fields B, Gabriels R, Schmid AA, Stallones L, Peters BC. The potential usefulness of standardized assessments to measure participant outcomes of adaptive/therapeutic horseback riding: a survey study. Front Vet Sci 2023;10:1303991.
- Kocyigit BF, Adilbekov E, Zharmenov S, Akyol A, Yessirkepov M. Evaluating the efficacy of hippotherapy: a promising intervention in rheumatology, pain medicine, and geriatrics. Rheumatol Int 2023 Dec;43(12):2185-2191.
- Marchand WR. Potential Mechanisms of Action and Outcomes of Equine-Assisted Services for Veterans with a History of Trauma: A Narrative Review of the Literature. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2023 Jul 16;20(14).
- Pimenta J, Pinto AR, Saavedra MJ, Cotovio M. Equine Gram-Negative Oral Microbiota: An Antimicrobial Resistances Watcher?. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023 Apr 21;12(4).
- Rodríguez-Martínez MDC, De la Plana Maestre A, Armenta-Peinado JA, Barbancho MÁ, García-Casares N. Evidence of Animal-Assisted Therapy in Neurological Diseases in Adults: A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 Dec 7;18(24).
- Collado-Mateo D, Lavín-Pérez AM, Fuentes García JP, García-Gordillo MÁ, Villafaina S. Effects of Equine-Assisted Therapies or Horse-Riding Simulators on Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Medicina (Kaunas) 2020 Aug 31;56(9).
- Shnaiderman-Torban A, Navon-Venezia S, Dor Z, Paitan Y, Arielly H, Ahmad WA, Kelmer G, Fulde M, Steinman A. Extended-Spectrum β-lactamase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae Shedding in Farm Horses Versus Hospitalized Horses: Prevalence and Risk Factors. Animals (Basel) 2020 Feb 11;10(2).
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