The purpose of this study was to identify appropriate outcome measures and assess preliminary efficacy of occupational therapy in an equine environment (OT
ee
HORSPLAY) for youth with autism spectrum ...disorder (ASD). Twenty-four youth with ASD aged 6–13 were randomized to 10 weeks of OT
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HORSPLAY or to a waitlist control condition, occupational therapy in a garden. Youth demonstrated significantly improved goal attainment and social motivation, and decreased irritability after OT
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HORSPLAY. When compared to the subset of participants who completed the waitlist control condition, the OT
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HORSPLAY group still demonstrated significant improvements in goal attainment. This study provides preliminary evidence that horses can be integrated into occupational therapy for youth with ASD to improve social and behavioral goals.
: To verify the effects of 12, 24, 36 hippotherapy sessions over time on postural balance while sitting in children with cerebral palsy as well the effects of treatment after one interruption period ...of 45 days.
: Hippotherapy program with a twice-weekly treatment with a total of 13 children aged 5-10 years old. Measurements of postural balance during sitting were performed using the AMTI AccuSway Plus platform.
: There was a statistically significant reduction in mediolateral and anteroposterior sway after the first 12 hippotherapy sessions, and further significant sway reduction occurred as the treatment progressed. Changes in the center of pressure displacement velocity variable began to occur after 24 sessions.
: Seated postural balance improved in children with cerebral palsy, as evidenced by lower COP displacement, particularly after a greater number of sessions. After the last evaluations, when completing 36 sessions of hippotherapy, it was verified that the improvements to the postural balance continued to occur. Therefore, further studies with a longer treatment period may help to clarify if, at some point, there is stabilization in the improvement of postural balance. Furthermore, it is important to analyze the impact of hippotherapy on functional activities over time.
Animal-assisted interventions are considered an innovative rehabilitation approach to improve social, emotional, and physical domains in several diseases. Among such treatments, the equine-assisted ...activities and therapies have been developed to support the conventional approaches. There is growing evidence on the beneficial effects of hippotherapy, whereas few data are available regarding donkey therapy. Herein, we compare such treatments, hypothesizing their best application field to reach the proper therapeutic outcomes.
Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of hippotherapy exercise on the thickness of deep abdominal muscles and daily activities of children with intellectual disabilities. ...Subjects and Methods Seven children with intellectual disabilities were treated with hippotherapy for 30 minutes twice a week for 6 weeks. The thickness of deep abdominal muscles and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) of the subjects were measured by ultrasonography before and after the experiment. Results There was no significant change in the thickness of the External Oblique and Internal Oblique muscles, but there was a statistically significant change in Transverse Adbominis thickness and FIM score after treatment compared to before treatment. Conclusion Hippotherapy exercise has a positive effect on the improvement of Transverse Abdominis (TrA) and activity of daily livings of children with intellectual disabilities.
To summarize and update the current knowledge on the effectiveness of hippotherapy on postural control in children with cerebral palsy.
Using a systematic review methodology, the electronic databases ...PubMed, Virtual Health Library, PEDro, Scielo, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for eligible articles from 2011 up to September 2021. Quality assessment of eligible studies was performed using the PEDro scale.
There were 239 identified studies. Eight clinical trials were selected. The total sample consisted of 264 individuals, with 134 allocated to the experimental group (hippotherapy) and 130 individuals to the control group (conventional therapy). Most studies had moderate to high methodological quality.
Hippotherapy can be an effective intervention to improve several aspects related to postural control, such as static balance (especially in the sitting posture), dynamic balance, and alignment (body posture) in children aged 3 to 16 years, particularly with spastic hemiplegia or diplegia.
This review summarizes studies that explore potential effects of hippotherapy on postural control in children with cerebral palsy.
The three-dimensional movement of the horse in physical therapy is a valuable kinesio-therapeutic phenomenon that simultaneously affects several body systems, including particularly the neuromuscular ...system. However, the effects of equine-assisted services (EAS) on neuromuscular activation patterns in older adults have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we evaluated the impact of a 10-weeks EAS program on trunk muscles in older adults who used a saddle and placed their feet in stirrups for the first 15 minutes and out of stirrups for the remaining 15 minutes of 30-minute EAS sessions. We gathered electromyographic (EMG) data of the trunk muscles five times each on the first, fifth, and 10th sessions: pre-EAS and post-EAS on a stationary horse and at 1-minute, 15-minutes, and 30-minutes on a horse in motion. Participants were 20 adults, aged 60–79 years. We analyzed normalized EMG data with 5 (session time) by 3 (session number) analyses of variance (ANOVAs) with repeated measures and with Bonferroni’s testing (p ≤ .05). There was a significant difference over the number of interventions for the right thoracic paravertebral muscle (p = .025) and session time effect for the left trapezius (p = .042), right thoracic paravertebral (p < .001), right and left multifidus (p < .001), and right and left rectus abdominis muscles (p < .001). Thus, trunk muscles in older adults showed complex neuromuscular activation synchronized with the horse’s movement, which was influenced by session time and number of interventions. The practical implication of these findings is that EAS can reduce fall risk among elderly adults of both sexes.
Using animals for medical care has a long history. Animals have long been recognized for their ability to improve human health and well-being throughout nations and civilizations. Animal-assisted ...therapy is a concept that incorporates intentional and regulated interactions between individuals and animals to achieve therapeutic aims. Hippotherapy is an animal-assisted therapy consisting of medical procedures and practices that use horses to restore and enhance physical and mental health. The effectiveness of hippotherapy is evidenced by its ability to have a favorable influence on various domains, encompassing physical, psychosocial, and educational aspects. This multifaceted method entails the active involvement of the sensory, musculoskeletal, vestibular, and visual systems. Hippotherapy is an unconventional modality, leveraging horses' cyclic and repetitive motions to activate the postural reflex structures of individuals. Various studies have mostly focused on determining the efficacy of hippotherapy in the context of neurological conditions, neuro-rehabilitation, and psychiatric disorders. The primary objective of this study was to present the effectiveness of hippotherapy in the fields of rheumatology, pain medicine, and geriatrics. In addition, we provided a summary of the potential underlying mechanisms of hippotherapy. Finally, we conducted a comparison of hippotherapy and horse riding simulator interventions to provide their respective strengths and restrictions.
OBJECTIVEEquine-assisted therapies, such as therapeutic riding and hippotherapy, are believed to have positive physical and emotional effects in individuals with neuromotor, developmental, and ...physical disabilities. The purpose of this review was to determine whether therapeutic riding and hippotherapy improve balance, motor function, gait, muscle symmetry, pelvic movement, psychosocial parameters, and the patientsʼ overall quality of life.
DESIGNIn this study, a literature search was conducted on MEDLINE, CINAHL, MBASE, SportDiscus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, PEDro, DARE, Google Scholar, and Dissertation Abstracts. Only studies with a control/comparison group or self-controlled studies performing preintervention and postintervention assessment were included. Excluded were (1) studies not providing data on baseline score or end-point outcome, (2) single-subject studies, (3) studies providing only qualitative data, and (4) studies that used a mechanical horse. Sixteen trials were included. The methodologic quality of each study was evaluated using Downs and Black quality assessment tool.
RESULTSMost of the studies showed a trend toward a beneficial effect of therapeutic riding and hippotherapy on balance and gross motor function. The meta-analysis showed improvement in both the Berg Balance Scale and the Gross Motor Function Measure in therapeutic riding and hippotherapy programs.
CONCLUSIONPrograms such as therapeutic riding and hippotherapy are a viable intervention option for patients with balance, gait, and psychomotor disorders.
•EAT has been recently put in the spotlight for the treatment PTSD.•EAT significantly improves post-traumatic stress symptoms.•Major standardization and further research on the long-term effects are ...needed.
Alternative treatments for Post-traumatic-Stress Disorder (PTSD) have attracted attention, especially Equine-Assisted Services (EAS) including psychotherapy and occupational therapy involving horses. In this work, we measured the effectiveness of EAS in PTSD through a meta-analysis. An intensive bibliography search focusing in EAS and PTSD was conducted following the PRISMA recommendations. The search was not restricted by date. For the quantitative analyses, 5 works were selected. They were chosen based on the instrument utilized for the assessment of PTSD symptoms: the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). A random effects model was carried out, showing significant results in the reduction of PTSD symptoms. In the qualitative synthesis, 10 studies were included which showed interesting results in the improvement of PTSD symptoms and other variables. In conclusion, EAS are beneficial for post-traumatic symptoms in the short term follow-up period. However, EAS require further research and major standardization.
Many studies focus on the impact of equine assisted services (EAS) on social skills in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but existing data are not consensual and the only available meta-analysis ...included only three studies and did not consider the social responsiveness scale (SRS). This meta-analysis aims to measure the impact of EAS on social skills in ASD. Using Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library, the means and standard deviations of every available SRS post-intervention scores in each participant group were collected from the five selected randomised controlled trials with 240 participants. An EAS significant beneficial impact was found for the total SRS score, social communication and social cognition. A tendency to a significant impact was found for social awareness and social motivation. No significant difference was shown for autistic mannerisms. This meta-analysis shows a significant beneficial impact of EAS for several social skills in ASD. Further randomised controlled trials are required to complement these results and expand the knowledge on the field of possibilities of this care in ASD.
•Data on equine assisted service impact on social skills in ASD are discrepant.•The only existing meta-analysis does not consider the social responsiveness scale.•An EAS significant beneficial impact was found for three SRS scores.•EAS could be listed among the relevant cares to propose for people with ASD.
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