Division of PM&R, RMMC&H, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu, India.
Department of Paediatrics, RMMC&H, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu, India.
Physiother Res Int. 2020 Oct;25(4):e1870. doi: 10.1002/pri.1870. Epub 2020 Aug 18.
Horse riding simulator (HRS) is an electronic horse, working under the principles of hippotherapy. It is one of the advanced therapeutic methods to improve postural control and balance in sitting, which could be recommended in the rehabilitation of cerebral palsy if real horses are unavailable.
To investigate the therapeutic effects of HRS on sitting motor function in children with spastic diplegia and evaluate the changes in sitting motor function at different periods of time (4, 8 and 12 weeks).
This study is a randomized controlled trial conducted over a period of 12 weeks. Thirty children with spastic diplegia age between 2 and 4 years with Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) Level I-III were included and divided into two groups. The control group received the conventional physiotherapy while the experimental group received HRS along with conventional physiotherapy. Sitting motor function was assessed by Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM)-88 (sitting dimension B) at baseline, 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Pre- and post-intervention scores were measured and analysed.
The baseline characteristics were similar in both groups before the intervention with p > .01. The observed mean value of GMFM in both groups improved over a period of 12 weeks. The results denote that the sitting motor function gradually improved over a period of time in both groups and the experimental group showed significant improvement (p < .01) than the control group in all the weeks.
The study results confirmed that gradual improvement in sitting motor function was observed in both groups. Children exposed to HRS show better improvement than the children in the control group. It was concluded that HRS is effective in improving the sitting motor function in children with spastic diplegia and the continuous provision of HRS in longer duration provide more benefits than the shorter duration.
骑马模拟器（HRS）是一种电子马，其工作原理基于马术治疗。它是一种改善坐姿姿势控制和平衡的先进治疗方法，如果没有真正的马匹，它可以在脑瘫康复中得到推荐。
探讨骑马模拟器（HRS）对痉挛型双瘫儿童坐姿运动功能的治疗效果，并评估不同时间段（4、8 和 12 周）的坐姿运动功能变化。
这是一项为期 12 周的随机对照试验研究。纳入 30 名年龄在 2 至 4 岁、粗大运动功能分级系统（GMFCS）I-III 级的痉挛型双瘫儿童，分为两组。对照组接受常规物理治疗，实验组接受 HRS 联合常规物理治疗。在基线、4、8 和 12 周时使用粗大运动功能测量（GMFM）-88（坐姿维度 B）评估坐姿运动功能。测量并分析干预前后的评分。
干预前两组的基线特征相似，p＞.01。两组 GMFM 的观察平均值在 12 周内均有所提高。结果表明，两组的坐姿运动功能在一段时间内逐渐改善，实验组在所有周的改善均明显优于对照组（p＜.01）。
研究结果证实，两组的坐姿运动功能均逐渐改善。暴露于 HRS 的儿童比对照组儿童的改善更为显著。研究结论为 HRS 可有效改善痉挛型双瘫儿童的坐姿运动功能，并且持续提供 HRS 治疗的时间越长，提供的益处越多。
