Department of Physical Therapy, College of Natural Science, Kyungnam University, Changwon, South Korea.
NeuroRehabilitation. 2013;33(3):407-12. doi: 10.3233/NRE-130971.
We investigated whether a hippotherapy simulator has influence on symmetric body weight bearing during gait in patients with stroke.
Stroke patients were divided into a control group (n = 10) that received conventional rehabilitation for 60 min/day, 5 times/week for 4 weeks and an experimental group (n = 10) that used a hippotherapy simulator for 15 min/day, 5 times/week for 4 weeks after conventional rehabilitation for 45 min/day. Temporospatial gait assessed using OptoGait and trunk muscles (abdominis and erector spinae on affected side) activity evaluated using surface electromyography during sit-to-stand and gait. Prior to starting the experiment, pre-testing was performed. At the end of the 4-week intervention, we performed post-testing.
Activation of the erector spinae in the experimental group was significantly increased compared to that in the control group (p < 0.01), whereas activation of the rectus abdominis decreased during sit-to-stand. Of the gait parameters, load response, single support, total double support, and pre-swing showed significant changes in the experimental group with a hippotherapy simulator compared to control group (p < 0.05). Moreover, activation of the erector spinae and rectus abdominis in gait correlate with changes of gait parameters including load response, single support, total double support, and pre-swing in experimental group.
These findings suggest that use of a hippotherapy simulator to patients with stroke can improve asymmetric weight bearing by influencing trunk muscles.
我们研究了骑马治疗模拟器是否会影响脑卒中患者步态中的对称体重支撑。
将脑卒中患者分为对照组（n=10）和实验组（n=10）。对照组接受常规康复治疗，每天 60 分钟，每周 5 次，持续 4 周；实验组在常规康复治疗结束后，每天使用骑马治疗模拟器 15 分钟，每周 5 次，持续 4 周。使用 OptoGait 评估时空步态，使用表面肌电图评估坐站和步态期间患侧的躯干肌肉（腹肌和竖脊肌）活动。在开始实验之前进行预测试，在 4 周干预结束时进行后测试。
与对照组相比，实验组的竖脊肌激活显著增加（p<0.01），而坐站时腹肌的激活减少。在步态参数中，实验组使用骑马治疗模拟器后，负荷反应、单支撑、总双支撑和预摆期有显著变化（p<0.05）。此外，实验组中竖脊肌和腹肌的激活与步态参数的变化相关，包括负荷反应、单支撑、总双支撑和预摆期。
这些发现表明，使用骑马治疗模拟器可以通过影响躯干肌肉来改善脑卒中患者的非对称体重支撑。
