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Effect of Equine-Assisted Activities on Cardiac Autonomic Function in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Pilot Randomized-Controlled Trial.
Abstract: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have an impaired cardiac autonomic function. Attenuated heart rate recovery (HRR), which is a valuable prognostic parameter for autonomic nervous system, is known to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. However, only few studies have observed the effects of exercise on the cardiac autonomic function in children with CP. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the effects of equine-assisted activity (EAA) program on cardiac autonomic function in children with CP. A single-blinded, parallel, two-arm pilot trial with 1:1 randomization to the EAA or control group. A tertiary university hospital and a local arena. Twenty-six children with CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System Levels I-II). Each lesson of the EAA program for the EAA group was conducted for 40 min twice a week, and the whole program duration was 16 weeks (a total of 32 sessions). A graded exercise test was performed to measure the resting heart rate (RHR), HRR, and peak oxygen uptake (VO) on both groups before and after the 16-week period. The autonomic nervous function measured by the response of HRR improved at 1 min ( < 0.009), 3 min ( < 0.001), and 5 min ( < 0.004) only in the EAA group. RHR significantly improved in the EAA group ( < 0.013), whereas the VO did not significantly differ between the two groups. The HRR and RHR of the children with CP improved after completing the 16-week EAA program. The results demonstrated that the program had a positive effect on the improvement of cardiac autonomic function in these patients. Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT03870893.
Publication Date: 2020-11-27 PubMed ID: 33252241DOI: 10.1089/acm.2020.0346Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Randomized Controlled Trial
Summary
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This pilot study assessed the impact of horse-assisted activities on the heart health of children diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (CP), finding that their cardiac autonomic function improved after completion of a 16-week program.
Study Overview
This research involved a single-blinded, parallel, two-arm pilot trial with 1:1 randomization to the equine-assisted activity (EAA) or control group. The study conducted within a tertiary university hospital and a local arena involved 26 children diagnosed with Cerebal Palsy at Gross Motor Function Classification System Levels I-II.
Procedure
- The EAA group underwent a program consisting of forty-minute lessons carried out twice weekly for a duration of 16 weeks, totalling 32 sessions.
- A graded exercise test was performed on both groups both before and after the 16-week period in order to measure resting heart rate (RHR), heart rate recovery (HRR), and peak oxygen uptake (VO).
Results
- The EAA group exhibited significant improvement in autonomic nervous function, as measured by the response of HRR, at 1 minute (<0.009), 3 minutes (<0.001), and 5 minutes (<0.004).
- Improvement in resting heart rate (RHR) was also significant in the EAA group (<0.013).
- No significant difference was observed in peak oxygen uptake (VO) between the two groups.
Conclusion
The conducted experiment showed that implementation of an EAA program led to improvements in RHR and HRR in children with Cerebal Palsy. This suggests that such an intervention can have a positive effect on the improvement of cardiac autonomic function in patients with CP.
Cite This Article
APA
Park IK, Lee JY, Suk MH, Yoo S, Seo YG, Oh JK, Kwon JY.
(2020).
Effect of Equine-Assisted Activities on Cardiac Autonomic Function in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Pilot Randomized-Controlled Trial.
J Altern Complement Med, 27(1), 96-102.
https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2020.0346 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Samsung Equestrian Team, Gunpo, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Sport Science, College of Sport and Art, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Health and Human Performance, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX, USA.
- Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Health Care and Sports Science, Korea National Sport University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Physical & Rehabilitation Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Autonomic Nervous System / physiology
- Cerebral Palsy / therapy
- Child
- Equine-Assisted Therapy
- Female
- Heart Rate / physiology
- Horses
- Humans
- Male
- Oxygen Consumption / physiology
- Pilot Projects
Citations
This article has been cited 7 times.- Ozaki M, Murata J, Sato K, Tanaka G, Imamura A, Iwanaga R. Effect of the Sway Bed on Autonomic Response, Emotional Responses, and Muscle Hardness in Children with Severe Motor and Intellectual Disabilities: A Pilot Study. Healthcare (Basel) 2022 Nov 21;10(11).
- Amado-Fuentes M, Gozalo M, Garcia-Gomez A, Barrios-Fernandez S. Impact of Equine-Assisted Interventions on Heart Rate Variability in Two Participants with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: A Pilot Study. Children (Basel) 2021 Nov 22;8(11).
- Wienhold S, Bär L, Ringleb Z, Zirpel V, Gomolla A, Denk BF, Volkmer N, Gaertner RJ, Klink ESC, Pruessner JC. The relationship of early life adversity and physiological synchrony within the therapeutic triad in horse-assisted therapy. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2025 Sep;132(9):1291-1312.
- Wijnhoud EJ, Bos AMME, Buizer AI, Beckerman H. Aerobic fitness in children with cerebral palsy compared to typically developing peers: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Braz J Phys Ther 2024 Nov-Dec;28(6):101142.
- de Paula Paro M, de Sousa RM, Martinez JP, Simcsik AO, Airoldi MJ, Dias RM, de Moraes ÍAP, Magalhães FH, de Mello Monteiro CB, da Silva-Magalhães TD. Impact of Serial Casting on Autonomic Nervous System Responses during Virtual Reality Tasks in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Pilot Study Comparing Orthoses and Barefoot Conditions. Brain Sci 2024 Sep 30;14(10).
- Ni X, Wei Y, Li X, Pan J, Fang B, Zhang T, Lu Y, Ye D, Zhu Y. From biology to the clinic - exploring liver metastasis in prostate cancer. Nat Rev Urol 2024 Oct;21(10):593-614.
- Kovács KE, Balogh ÉZ, Lovas B, Boris P, Nagy BE. The role of animal-assisted programs in physical health improvement of children and adolescents with special education needs - a systematic review. BMC Public Health 2024 Mar 15;24(1):824.
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