Kim Seong Gil, Lee Chae-Woo
Department of Rehabilitation Science, Graduate School, Daegu University, Republic of Korea.
Department of Hippotheray, Sungduk College, Republic of Korea.
J Phys Ther Sci. 2014 Jan;26(1):25-7. doi: 10.1589/jpts.26.25. Epub 2014 Feb 6.
[Purpose] The aim of this study was to examine the effects of hippotherapy on elderly persons' static balance and gait. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-two elderly persons residing in the community were randomly divided into a hippotherapy group and a treadmill group and they conducted exercise for eight weeks. [Results] Step lengths increased significantly, and step time and sway path lengths significantly decreased in both groups. A comparison of sway path lengths after the intervention between the two groups revealed that the hippotherapy group showed larger decreases than the treadmill group. [Conclusion] The results of this study indicate that hippotherapy may improve the static balance and gait of elderly persons residing in the community.
[目的] 本研究旨在探讨马术疗法对老年人静态平衡和步态的影响。[对象与方法] 将22名居住在社区的老年人随机分为马术疗法组和跑步机组，进行为期8周的锻炼。[结果] 两组的步长均显著增加，步时和摆动路径长度均显著减少。两组干预后摆动路径长度的比较显示，马术疗法组的减少幅度大于跑步机组。[结论] 本研究结果表明，马术疗法可能改善居住在社区的老年人的静态平衡和步态。
