Laboratory of Primary Health Care, School of Health Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Patras, Patras, 26504, Greece.
Department of Speech and Language Therapy, School of Health Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Patras, Patras, 26504, Greece.
Ital J Pediatr. 2024 Sep 19;50(1):188. doi: 10.1186/s13052-024-01715-9.
Cerebral palsy includes a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders caused by brain damage, leading to impairment of movement, posture, and balance for a lifetime. There are many therapeutic interventions for cerebral palsy. One of them is hippotherapy, an alternative physical therapy. It is a type of equine-assisted activity and therapy where children with cerebral palsy and motor function skills interact with a horse. We aimed to study the effects of hippotherapy, as an alternative therapy, on the motor function of children with cerebral palsy. We performed a review of the latest literature on hippotherapy and cerebral palsy. The criteria we used were specific keywords, publication date, age of the subjects/studied population, and article type. The outcome of our research resulted in ten relevant studies. The findings demonstrate improvements in various aspects of motor function - more specifically in gross motor function skills, balance, coordination, gait parameters, and muscle strength. Two of ten studies used the Horse-Riding Simulator with significant improvements in postural control in sitting, motor function, and hip abduction range of motion. Hippotherapy can improve motor function skills of children between 2 and 14 years of age with cerebral palsy, affecting their well-being and overall quality of life. It can have a positive effect either as a standalone treatment or as a part of other traditional therapies. Extended research is needed to assess whether hippotherapy may present significant long-term changes in motor skills in children with cerebral palsy.
脑瘫是一种由脑损伤引起的神经发育障碍，导致运动、姿势和平衡终身受损。脑瘫有许多治疗干预措施。其中之一是马术疗法，这是一种替代物理疗法。它是一种马术辅助活动和治疗，脑瘫和运动功能障碍儿童与马互动。我们旨在研究马术疗法作为替代疗法对脑瘫儿童运动功能的影响。我们对马术疗法和脑瘫的最新文献进行了综述。我们使用的标准是特定的关键词、出版日期、受试者/研究人群的年龄和文章类型。我们的研究结果得出了十项相关研究。研究结果表明，马术疗法可改善运动功能的各个方面，特别是粗大运动功能技能、平衡、协调、步态参数和肌肉力量。其中两项研究使用了骑马模拟器，在坐姿、运动功能和髋关节外展活动范围方面的姿势控制方面有显著改善。马术疗法可以改善 2 至 14 岁脑瘫儿童的运动功能技能，影响他们的幸福感和整体生活质量。它可以作为单一治疗或作为其他传统疗法的一部分产生积极影响。需要进一步研究来评估马术疗法是否可能对脑瘫儿童的运动技能产生显著的长期变化。
