FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / Healthcare (Basel) / The Effectiveness of Equine Therapy Intervention on Activiti...
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)2022; 10(3); 561; doi: 10.3390/healthcare10030561

The Effectiveness of Equine Therapy Intervention on Activities of Daily Living, Quality of Life, Mood, Balance and Gait in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease.

Abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of equine therapy (ET) to detect changes in the activities of daily living, quality of life, mood, balance, and gait in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: In the study, 17 participants with PD were recruited to participate in 10 sessions of ET. The inclusion criteria of the study were: second and third stages of the Hoehn and Yahr scale, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) greater than or equal to 24 points, and age up to 85 years. The outcome measures administered at the beginning and the end of treatment relied on measurements from the Rivermead ADL scale, Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39), Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS), and Tinetti balance assessment. Data from the stabilometric platform were also collected to objectify the value obtained by the Tinetti balance assessment. The ET program included 10 biweekly 45 min sessions. Results: The results obtained included statistically significant increases in measurements from the Rivermead ADL, PDQ-39, UPDRS, SDS, and Tinetti balance assessment scales. The stabilometric platform did not report significant changes in data. Conclusions: ET that was used as a supportive therapy for traditional treatments resulted in statistically significant improvements in the occupational performance, mood, quality of life, gait, and balance of the participants. Data from the stabilometric platform did not show significant changes.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2022-03-17 PubMed ID: 35327039PubMed Central: PMC8955834DOI: 10.3390/healthcare10030561Google 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.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article

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 paper explores the impact of equine therapy on daily life activities, mood, balance, and gait among individuals with Parkinson’s Disease. The study demonstrated notable improvements in participants’ overall wellbeing after 10 sessions of equine therapy.

Objective and Methodology

The study aimed to assess the potential benefits of equine therapy (ET) on individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). The focus areas were everyday activities, life quality, mood, balance, and gait. Seventeen participants with PD were selected, required to be in the second or third stages of the Hoehn and Yahr scale, have Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores equal to or greater than 24, and be aged up to 85.

  • The therapy program was delivered over 10 bi-weekly sessions each lasting 45 minutes.
  • Assessments were taken both before and after therapy, using tools such as the Rivermead ADL scale, Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39), Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale (UPDRS), and Tinetti balance assessment.
  • A stabilometric platform was used alongside the assessment tools to measure balance objectively.

Results and Conclusions

The intervention produced improvements in measurements from the Rivermead ADL, PDQ-39, UPDRS, SDS, and Tinetti balance assessment scales. Participants demonstrated significant improvements in occupational performance, quality of life, mood, and balance.

  • The study, however, recorded no significant changes in stabilometric platform data. This instrument was used to provide an objective measure of the value obtained by the Tinetti balance assessment.
  • Overall, this study implies the potential advantages of adding ET to traditional treatments for managing PD. It suggests benefits in enhancing quality of life, mood, and physical functioning of individuals with the disease.

Cite This Article

APA
Berardi A, Di Napoli G, Ernesto M, Fabbrini G, Conte A, Ferrazzano G, Viselli F, Galeoto G. (2022). The Effectiveness of Equine Therapy Intervention on Activities of Daily Living, Quality of Life, Mood, Balance and Gait in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease. Healthcare (Basel), 10(3), 561. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10030561

Publication

Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)
ISSN: 2227-9032
NlmUniqueID: 101666525
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 3
PII: 561

Researcher Affiliations

Berardi, Anna
  • Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell'Università, 30, 00185 Rome, Italy.
Di Napoli, Giorgia
  • Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
Ernesto, Monica
  • Hospital San Govanni Battista, 30, 00185 Rome, Italy.
Fabbrini, Giovanni
  • Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell'Università, 30, 00185 Rome, Italy.
  • IRCSS Neuromed, Via Atinense, 18, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy.
Conte, Antonella
  • Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell'Università, 30, 00185 Rome, Italy.
  • IRCSS Neuromed, Via Atinense, 18, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy.
Ferrazzano, Gina
  • Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell'Università, 30, 00185 Rome, Italy.
Viselli, Fabio
  • Hospital San Govanni Battista, 30, 00185 Rome, Italy.
Galeoto, Giovanni
  • Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell'Università, 30, 00185 Rome, Italy.
  • IRCSS Neuromed, Via Atinense, 18, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

This article includes 45 references
  1. Reich SG, Savitt JM. Parkinson's Disease.. Med Clin North Am 2019 Mar;103(2):337-350.
    doi: 10.1016/j.mcna.2018.10.014pubmed: 30704685google scholar: lookup
  2. Abbruzzese G, Marchese R, Avanzino L, Pelosin E. Rehabilitation for Parkinson's disease: Current outlook and future challenges.. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2016 Jan;22 Suppl 1:S60-4.
    doi: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2015.09.005pubmed: 26360239google scholar: lookup
  3. Dockx K, Bekkers EM, Van den Bergh V, Ginis P, Rochester L, Hausdorff JM, Mirelman A, Nieuwboer A. Virtual reality for rehabilitation in Parkinson's disease.. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2016 Dec 21;12(12):CD010760.
    doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010760.pub2pmc: PMC6463967pubmed: 28000926google scholar: lookup
  4. Cano Porras D, Siemonsma P, Inzelberg R, Zeilig G, Plotnik M. Advantages of virtual reality in the rehabilitation of balance and gait: Systematic review.. Neurology 2018 May 29;90(22):1017-1025.
    doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000005603pubmed: 29720544google scholar: lookup
  5. Friedman E, Krause-Parello CA. Companion animals and human health: benefits, challenges, and the road ahead for human-animal interaction.. Rev Sci Tech 2018 Apr;37(1):71-82.
    doi: 10.20506/rst.37.1.2741pubmed: 30209428google scholar: lookup
  6. Carillon B, Jarzebowski W, Fulpin B, Miliotis A, Bernadac A, Saint-Georges Chaumet Y, Belmin J. [Effects of pony-assisted therapy on the behavior of older people with neurocognitive disorders living in nursing homes].. Geriatr Psychol Neuropsychiatr Vieil 2020 Sep 1;18(3):273-282.
    doi: 10.1684/pnv.2020.0854pubmed: 32716001google scholar: lookup
  7. Fiori G, Marzi T, Bartoli F, Bruni C, Ciceroni C, Palomba M, Zolferino M, Corsi E, Galimberti M, Moggi Pignone A, Viggiano MP, Guiducci S, Calamai M, Matucci-Cerinic M. The challenge of pet therapy in systemic sclerosis: evidence for an impact on pain, anxiety, neuroticism and social interaction.. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2018 Jul-Aug;36 Suppl 113(4):135-141.
    pubmed: 30277859
  8. Srinivasan SM, Cavagnino DT, Bhat AN. Effects of Equine Therapy on Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review.. Rev J Autism Dev Disord 2018 Jun;5(2):156-175.
    doi: 10.1007/s40489-018-0130-zpmc: PMC6178825pubmed: 30319932google scholar: lookup
  9. Vermöhlen V, Schiller P, Schickendantz S, Drache M, Hussack S, Gerber-Grote A, Pöhlau D. Hippotherapy for patients with multiple sclerosis: A multicenter randomized controlled trial (MS-HIPPO).. Mult Scler 2018 Sep;24(10):1375-1382.
    doi: 10.1177/1352458517721354pubmed: 28770664google scholar: lookup
  10. Park ES, Rha DW, Shin JS, Kim S, Jung S. Effects of hippotherapy on gross motor function and functional performance of children with cerebral palsy.. Yonsei Med J 2014 Nov;55(6):1736-42.
    doi: 10.3349/ymj.2014.55.6.1736pmc: PMC4205717pubmed: 25323914google scholar: lookup
  11. Moraes A, Silva M, Copetti F, Abreu AC, David AC. Hippotherapy in the postural control and balance in individuals with cerebral palsy: Systematic review. Rev. Neurociências 2015;23:546–554.
    doi: 10.4181/RNC.2015.23.04.1062.09pgoogle scholar: lookup
  12. Peppe A, Costa A, Cerino S, Caltagirone C, Alleva E, Borgi M, Cirulli F. Targeting gait and life quality in persons with Parkinson's disease: Potential benefits of Equine-Assisted Interventions.. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2018 Feb;47:94-95.
    doi: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2017.12.003pubmed: 29248341google scholar: lookup
  13. Galeoto G, Turriziani S, Berardi A, Sansoni J, Santilli V, Mascio M, Paoloni M. Levels of Cognitive Functioning Assessment Scale: Italian cross-cultural adaptation and validation.. Ann Ig 2020 Jan-Feb;32(1):16-26.
    pubmed: 31713573doi: 10.7416/ai.2020.2326google scholar: lookup
  14. Galeoto G, Scialpi A, Grassi ML, Berardi A, Valente D, Tofani M, Paoloni M. General Sleep Disturbance Scale: Translation, cultural adaptation, and psychometric properties of the Italian version.. Cranio 2021 Jul;39(4):326-334.
    doi: 10.1080/08869634.2019.1627067pubmed: 31181984google scholar: lookup
  15. Ruotolo I, Berardi A, Sellitto G, Panuccio F, Polimeni A, Valente D, Galeoto G. Criterion Validity and Reliability of SF-12 Health Survey Version 2 (SF-12v2) in a Student Population during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.. Depress Res Treat 2021;2021:6624378.
    doi: 10.1155/2021/6624378pmc: PMC8360746pubmed: 34394986google scholar: lookup
  16. Berardi A, Regoli E, Tofani M, Valente D, Fabbrini G, Fabbrini A, Ruggieri M, Panuccio F, Galeoto G. Tools to assess the quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review.. Expert Rev Pharmacoecon Outcomes Res 2021 Feb;21(1):55-68.
    doi: 10.1080/14737167.2021.1841638pubmed: 33090885google scholar: lookup
  17. Miniera F, Berardi A, Panuccio F, Valente D, Tofani M, Galeoto G. Measuring Environmental Barriers: Validation and Cultural Adaptation of the Italian Version of the Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors (CHIEF) Scale.. Occup Ther Health Care 2020 Oct;34(4):373-385.
    doi: 10.1080/07380577.2020.1834174pubmed: 33078967google scholar: lookup
  18. Ioncoli M, Berardi A, Tofani M, Panuccio F, Servadio A, Valente D, Galeoto G. Crosscultural Validation of the Community Integration Questionnaire-Revised in an Italian Population.. Occup Ther Int 2020;2020:8916541.
    doi: 10.1155/2020/8916541pmc: PMC7481919pubmed: 32934614google scholar: lookup
  19. Panuccio F, Berardi A, Marquez MA, Messina MP, Valente D, Tofani M, Galeoto G. Development of the Pregnancy and Motherhood Evaluation Questionnaire (PMEQ) for evaluating and measuring the impact of physical disability on pregnancy and the management of motherhood: a pilot study.. Disabil Rehabil 2022 Apr;44(8):1474-1480.
    doi: 10.1080/09638288.2020.1802520pubmed: 32748671google scholar: lookup
  20. Tofani M, Castelli E, Sabbadini M, Berardi A, Murgia M, Servadio A, Galeoto G. Examining Reliability and Validity of the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test Among Children With Cerebral Palsy.. Percept Mot Skills 2020 Aug;127(4):684-697.
    doi: 10.1177/0031512520920087pubmed: 32321360google scholar: lookup
  21. Berardi A, Galeoto G, Lucibello L, Panuccio F, Valente D, Tofani M. Athletes with disability' satisfaction with sport wheelchairs: an Italian cross sectional study.. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol 2021 May;16(4):420-424.
    doi: 10.1080/17483107.2020.1800114pubmed: 32730722google scholar: lookup
  22. Fabbri B, Berardi A, Tofani M, Panuccio F, Ruotolo I, Sellitto G, Galeoto G. A systematic review of the psychometric properties of the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHFT).. Hand Surg Rehabil 2021 Oct;40(5):560-567.
    doi: 10.1016/j.hansur.2021.05.004pubmed: 34023565google scholar: lookup
  23. Berardi A, Panuccio F, Pilli L, Tofani M, Valente D, Galeoto G. Evaluation instruments for executive functions in children and adolescents: a systematic review.. Expert Rev Pharmacoecon Outcomes Res 2021 Oct;21(5):885-896.
    doi: 10.1080/14737167.2021.1908889pubmed: 33760678google scholar: lookup
  24. Galeoto G, De Santis R, Marcolini A, Cinelli A, Cecchi R. Il consenso informato in Terapia Occupazionale: proposta di una modulistica.. G Ital Med Lav Ergon 2016 Apr-Jun;38(2):107-15.
    pubmed: 27459843
  25. Galeoto G, Mollica R, Astorino O, Cecchi R. [Informed consent in physiotherapy: proposal of a form].. G Ital Med Lav Ergon 2015 Oct-Dec;37(4):245-54.
    pubmed: 26934810
  26. Folstein MF, Folstein SE, McHugh PR. "Mini-mental state". A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician.. J Psychiatr Res 1975 Nov;12(3):189-98.
    doi: 10.1016/0022-3956(75)90026-6pubmed: 1202204google scholar: lookup
  27. Pangman VC, Sloan J, Guse L. An examination of psychometric properties of the mini-mental state examination and the standardized mini-mental state examination: implications for clinical practice.. Appl Nurs Res 2000 Nov;13(4):209-13.
    doi: 10.1053/apnr.2000.9231pubmed: 11078787google scholar: lookup
  28. Galeoto G, Colalelli F, Massai P, Berardi A, Tofani M, Pierantozzi M, Servadio A, Fabbrini A, Fabbrini G. Quality of life in Parkinson's disease: Italian validation of the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39-IT).. Neurol Sci 2018 Nov;39(11):1903-1909.
    doi: 10.1007/s10072-018-3524-xpubmed: 30088166google scholar: lookup
  29. Franchignoni F, Tesio L, Benevolo E, Ottonello M. Psychometric properties of the Rivermead Mobility Index in Italian stroke rehabilitation inpatients.. Clin Rehabil 2003 May;17(3):273-82.
    doi: 10.1191/0269215503cr608oapubmed: 12735534google scholar: lookup
  30. Innamorati M, Lelli M, Aiello S, Di lorenzo del Casale FL, Russo S, Ferrari V. Convergent and discriminant validation of the Italian version of the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. Psicoter. Cogn. E Comport. 2006;12:343–353.
  31. Ricci G, Barrionuevo ML, Bodini S, Cosso P, Locati L, Pagliari P, Sala S, Ianes AB. Il Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (Scala di Tinetti) nell’assessment delle cadute: Analisi dell’importanza dei singoli item. G. Gerontol. 2013;1:126–135.
  32. Cova I, Di Battista ME, Vanacore N, Papi CP, Alampi G, Rubino A, Valente M, Meco G, Contri P, Di Pucchio A, Lacorte E, Priori A, Mariani C, Pomati S. Validation of the Italian version of the Non Motor Symptoms Scale for Parkinson's disease.. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2017 Jan;34:38-42.
    doi: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2016.10.020pubmed: 28029554google scholar: lookup
  33. Peto V, Jenkinson C, Fitzpatrick R, Greenhall R. The development and validation of a short measure of functioning and well being for individuals with Parkinson's disease.. Qual Life Res 1995 Jun;4(3):241-8.
    doi: 10.1007/BF02260863pubmed: 7613534google scholar: lookup
  34. Lincoln NB, Edmans JA. A re-validation of the Rivermead ADL scale for elderly patients with stroke.. Age Ageing 1990 Jan;19(1):19-24.
    doi: 10.1093/ageing/19.1.19pubmed: 2316420google scholar: lookup
  35. HAMILTON M. A rating scale for depression.. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1960 Feb;23(1):56-62.
    doi: 10.1136/jnnp.23.1.56pmc: PMC495331pubmed: 14399272google scholar: lookup
  36. Tinetti ME. Performance-oriented assessment of mobility problems in elderly patients.. J Am Geriatr Soc 1986 Feb;34(2):119-26.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1986.tb05480.xpubmed: 3944402google scholar: lookup
  37. Martínez-Martín P, Gil-Nagel A, Gracia LM, Gómez JB, Martínez-Sarriés J, Bermejo F. Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale characteristics and structure. The Cooperative Multicentric Group.. Mov Disord 1994 Jan;9(1):76-83.
    doi: 10.1002/mds.870090112pubmed: 8139608google scholar: lookup
  38. Antonini A, Abbruzzese G, Ferini-Strambi L, Tilley B, Huang J, Stebbins GT, Goetz CG, Barone P, Bandettini di Poggio M, Fabbrini G, Di Stasio F, Tinazzi M, Bovi T, Ramat S, Meoni S, Pezzoli G, Canesi M, Martinelli P, Maria Scaglione CL, Rossi A, Tambasco N, Santangelo G, Picillo M, Morgante L, Morgante F, Quatrale R, Sensi M, Pilleri M, Biundo R, Nordera G, Caria A, Pacchetti C, Zangaglia R, Lopiano L, Zibetti M, Zappia M, Nicoletti A, Quattrone A, Salsone M, Cossu G, Murgia D, Albanese A, Del Sorbo F. Validation of the Italian version of the Movement Disorder Society--Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale.. Neurol Sci 2013 May;34(5):683-7.
    doi: 10.1007/s10072-012-1112-zpubmed: 22678179google scholar: lookup
  39. Scoppa F, Capra R, Gallamini M, Shiffer R. Clinical stabilometry standardization: basic definitions--acquisition interval--sampling frequency.. Gait Posture 2013 Feb;37(2):290-2.
    doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2012.07.009pubmed: 22889928google scholar: lookup
  40. Ajzenman HF, Standeven JW, Shurtleff TL. Effect of hippotherapy on motor control, adaptive behaviors, and participation in children with autism spectrum disorder: a pilot study.. Am J Occup Ther 2013 Nov-Dec;67(6):653-63.
    doi: 10.5014/ajot.2013.008383pubmed: 24195899google scholar: lookup
  41. Scorza CA, Guimarães-Marques M, Nejm M, Victorino DB, Fiorini AC, Finsterer J, Scorza FA. Improving the quality of life of patients with Parkinson's disease: animal-assisted therapy in focus.. Psychogeriatrics 2020 Sep;20(5):810.
    doi: 10.1111/psyg.12575pubmed: 32543047google scholar: lookup
  42. Boldig CM, Butala N. Pet Therapy as a Nonpharmacological Treatment Option for Neurological Disorders: A Review of the Literature.. Cureus 2021 Jul;13(7):e16167.
    doi: 10.7759/cureus.16167pmc: PMC8336327pubmed: 34367777google scholar: lookup
  43. Zhu X, Suarez-Jimenez B, Zilcha-Mano S, Lazarov A, Arnon S, Lowell AL, Bergman M, Ryba M, Hamilton AJ, Hamilton JF, Turner JB, Markowitz JC, Fisher PW, Neria Y. Neural changes following equine-assisted therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: A longitudinal multimodal imaging study.. Hum Brain Mapp 2021 Apr 15;42(6):1930-1939.
    doi: 10.1002/hbm.25360pmc: PMC7978114pubmed: 33547694google scholar: lookup
  44. Ridgel AL, Muller MD, Kim CH, Fickes EJ, Mera TO. Acute effects of passive leg cycling on upper extremity tremor and bradykinesia in Parkinson's disease.. Phys Sportsmed 2011 Sep;39(3):83-93.
    doi: 10.3810/psm.2011.09.1924pubmed: 22030944google scholar: lookup
  45. Frazzitta G, Bertotti G, Riboldazzi G, Turla M, Uccellini D, Boveri N, Guaglio G, Perini M, Comi C, Balbi P, Maestri R. Effectiveness of intensive inpatient rehabilitation treatment on disease progression in parkinsonian patients: a randomized controlled trial with 1-year follow-up.. Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2012 Feb;26(2):144-50.
    doi: 10.1177/1545968311416990pubmed: 21844282google scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. 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).
    doi: 10.3390/ijerph20146377pubmed: 37510609google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,344 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.