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Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2022; 2022; 9656503; doi: 10.1155/2022/9656503

Benefits of Equine-Assisted Therapies in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review.

Abstract: This systematic review aimed to provide an up-to-date analysis of the effects of equine-assisted therapies (EAT) in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to conduct this systematic review. PubMed and Web of Science databases were employed in the search, which ended in February 2022. The risk of bias analysis was performed using the Evidence Project tool. After removing duplicates, thirty-nine studies were identified. However, only ten fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in this systematic review. Therefore, a total of 195 PwMS, aged between 40.3 and 51.3, were included in this systematic review. EAT-based interventions had a mean length of 13.6 weeks with a session´s frequency ranging from ten to once a week. All sessions involved real horses and lasted a mean of 34.4 min. Among the included articles, four were randomized controlled trials (RCT), four did not perform randomization, and two employed a prepost design without a control group. RCTs showed positive effects on quality of life, fatigue, balance, spasticity, and gait speed. Furthermore, non-RCT showed improvements in balance, spasticity, and postural control (postural control was not assessed in RCT studies). Importantly, significant effects were only observed when the comparison group was inactive or followed usual care. Therefore, EAT is a promising and effective therapy to improve quality of life, fatigue, balance, spasticity, and gait speed in PwMS. However, since comparison groups are heterogeneous, results could vary depending on the research design. Moreover, the inclusion of noncontrolled studies (in order to have a wide perspective of the state of art) could increase the risk of bias and make the results be taken with caution.
Publication Date: 2022-04-27 PubMed ID: 35529929PubMed Central: PMC9068279DOI: 10.1155/2022/9656503Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Review

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article is about how equine-assisted therapies (therapies that involve horses) can help improve the health conditions of people with multiple sclerosis. The paper provides a systematic review of previous studies and concludes these therapies can significantly improve quality of life, fatigue, balance, spasms, and walking speed in patients.

Methods

  • The authors comprehensively searched the PubMed and Web of Science databases till February 2022, in line with the PRISMA guidelines, to gather the necessary studies for their review.
  • Out of the thirty-nine studies identified, only ten met the set criteria and were included. This meant that the research considered results from 195 patients, aged 40.3 – 51.3 years old.
  • The authors also used the Evidence Project tool to analyze the risk of bias in their selected studies.

Intervention Details

  • The patient interventions involved a combination of real horses and the EAT sessions lasted for an average of 34.4 minutes. These therapies continued for an average of 13.6 weeks with a frequency of between once and ten times a week.

Research Design

  • The review included a variety of research designs. Four were randomized controlled trials (RCT), another four were without randomization, while two carried out a prepost design without a control group.

Findings

  • Both RCTs and non-RCTs showed that EAT significantly improved quality of life, fatigue, balance, spasms, and walking speed in the patients. Moreover, non-RCT also indicated improvements in postural control (not assessed in RCTs).
  • The authors, however, stipulated that positive effects were only observed when the individuals in the comparison groups were inactive or only followed their usual care routine. This implies that the research design could influence the results.

Limitations and Considerations

  • The authors recognize that due to the varied nature of the comparison groups, the results could vary based on research design. Additionally, including noncontrolled studies introduces a higher risk of bias. As a result, they call for caution when interpreting the results.

Cite This Article

APA
Lavín-Pérez AM, Collado-Mateo D, Caña-Pino A, Villafaina S, Parraca JA, Apolo-Arenas MD. (2022). Benefits of Equine-Assisted Therapies in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2022, 9656503. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/9656503

Publication

ISSN: 1741-427X
NlmUniqueID: 101215021
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 2022
Pages: 9656503
PII: 9656503

Researcher Affiliations

Lavín-Pérez, Ana Myriam
  • Centre for Sport Studies, Rey Juan Carlos University, 28943 Fuenlabrada, Madrid, Spain.
Collado-Mateo, Daniel
  • Centre for Sport Studies, Rey Juan Carlos University, 28943 Fuenlabrada, Madrid, Spain.
Caña-Pino, Alejandro
  • Department of Medical Surgical-Therapy, Medicine Faculty, Extremadura University, 06006 Badajoz, Spain.
Villafaina, Santos
  • Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Avenida de la Universidad s/n, Cáceres 10003, Extremadura, Spain.
  • Departamento de Desporto e Saúde, Escola de Saude e Desenvolvimento Humano, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal.
Parraca, Jose Alberto
  • Departamento de Desporto e Saúde, Escola de Saude e Desenvolvimento Humano, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal.
  • Comprehensive Health Research Center (CHRC), University of Évora, Évora, Portugal.
Apolo-Arenas, María Dolores
  • Department of Medical Surgical-Therapy, Medicine Faculty, Extremadura University, 06006 Badajoz, Spain.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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