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Home / Equine Research Bank / Int J Environ Res Public Health / The Influence of Hippotherapy on the Body Posture in a Sitti...
International journal of environmental research and public health2020; 17(18); 6846; doi: 10.3390/ijerph17186846

The Influence of Hippotherapy on the Body Posture in a Sitting Position among Children with Cerebral Palsy.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of hippotherapy (therapy with horses) on posture and body function among children with cerebral palsy. A case-control study included forty-five children aged 6-12 years, classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level I or II, with spastic diplegia or hemiplegia. The participants were randomly divided into three groups: study I (n = 15), study II (n = 15) and control (n = 15). The children from the study groups attended 30min hippotherapy sessions for 12 consecutive weeks, twice (study group I) or once (study group II) a week. The Sitting Assessment Scale (SAS) was used. A comparison of SAS showed an improvement in almost all the assessed categories among the children who participated in hippotherapy. In study group I, statistically significant differences were noted in the assessment of head position control, arm function (in both cases, = 0.012) and trunk control ( = 0.005) and in study group II in the assessment of trunk control ( = 0.028). Hippotherapy has a positive influence on the body posture and function of individual body parts in a sitting position among children with cerebral palsy.
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Publication Date: 2020-09-19 PubMed ID: 32961681PubMed Central: PMC7558765DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17186846Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Randomized Controlled Trial

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.

This study investigates how hippotherapy, or therapy with horses, affects the posture and body function of children with cerebral palsy. The research shows that hippotherapy can improve body posture and function in children affected by cerebral palsy.

Overview of the Study

  • The research was a case-control study which involved 45 children aged between 6 and 12 years. These children were all classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level I or II, and they all had spastic diplegia or hemiplegia.
  • These participants were randomly grouped into three groups: Study I group, Study II group, and a control group. Each group consisted of 15 children.
  • Children in the study groups participated in 30-minute hippotherapy sessions for 12 consecutive weeks. Children in Study I group had two sessions per week, while those in Study II group had one session per week. The control group did not participate in the therapy.
  • The Sitting Assessment Scale (SAS) was used to gauge the therapy’s effects on the children’s posture and body function.

Findings of the Study

  • The results showed that hippotherapy lead to improvements in nearly all assessed categories for children who took part in it.
  • In the Study I group, the researchers noted statistically significant differences in the head position control, arm function ( = 0.012 in both instances), and torso control ( = 0.005).
  • The Study II group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in the torso control ( = 0.028).

Conclusions of the Study

  • The study concludes that hippotherapy positively affects body posture and the function of individual body parts, specifically while in a sitting position, in children with cerebral palsy.

Cite This Article

APA
Matusiak-Wieczorek E, Dziankowska-Zaborszczyk E, Synder M, Borowski A. (2020). The Influence of Hippotherapy on the Body Posture in a Sitting Position among Children with Cerebral Palsy. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 17(18), 6846. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186846

Publication

International journal of environmental research and public health
ISSN: 1660-4601
NlmUniqueID: 101238455
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 17
Issue: 18
PII: 6846

Researcher Affiliations

Matusiak-Wieczorek, Ewelina
  • Sports Medicine Institute, Social and Preventive Medicine Department, Medical University of Lodz, 92-213 Lodz, Poland.
Dziankowska-Zaborszczyk, Elzbieta
  • Epidemiology and Biostatistics Institute, Social and Preventive Medicine Department, Medical University of Lodz, 90-752 Lodz, Poland.
Synder, Marek
  • Orthopedics Department, Medical University of Lodz, 92-213 Lodz, Poland.
Borowski, Andrzej
  • Orthopedics Department, Medical University of Lodz, 92-213 Lodz, Poland.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cerebral Palsy / therapy
  • Child
  • Equine-Assisted Therapy
  • Female
  • Horses
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Posture
  • Sitting Position

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 6 times.
  1. Stergiou AN, Mattila-Rautiainen S, Varvarousis DN, Tzoufi M, Plyta P, Beris A, Ploumis A. The efficacy of Equine Assisted Therapy intervention in gross motor function, performance, and spasticity in children with Cerebral Palsy.. Front Vet Sci 2023;10:1203481.
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  4. Abdel Ghafar MA, Abdelraouf OR, Abdel-Aziem AA, Elnegamy TE, Mohamed ME, Yehia AM, Mousa GS. Pulmonary Function and Aerobic Capacity Responses to Equine Assisted Therapy in Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.. J Rehabil Med 2022 Jun 23;54:jrm00296.
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  5. Chow TH. Traceable Features of Static Plantar Pressure Characteristics and Foot Postures in College Students with Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy.. J Pers Med 2022 Mar 4;12(3).
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