Ann Rehabil Med.  2012 Dec;36(6):756-761.

Hippotherapy in Adult Patients with Chronic Brain Disorders: A Pilot Study

• Sunwoo H
• Chang WH
• Kwon JY
• Kim TW
• Lee JY
• Kim YH

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of hippotherapy for adult patients with brain disorders. METHOD: Eight chronic brain disorder patients (7 males, mean age 42.4+/-16.6 years) were recruited. The mean duration from injury was 7.9+/-7.7 years. The diagnoses were stroke (n=5), traumatic brain disorder (n=2), and cerebral palsy (n=1). Hippotherapy sessions were conducted twice a week for eight consecutive weeks in an indoor riding arena. Each hippotherapy session lasted 30 minutes. All participants were evaluated by the Berg balance scale, Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment, 10 Meter Walking Test, Functional Ambulatory Category, Korean Beck Depression Inventory, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. We performed baseline assessments twice just before starting hippotherapy. We also assessed the participants immediately after hippotherapy and at eight weeks after hippotherapy.
RESULTS
All participants showed no difference in balance, gait function, and emotion between the two baseline assessments before hippotherapy. During the eight-week hippotherapy program, all participants showed neither adverse effects nor any accidents; all had good compliance. After hippotherapy, there were significant improvements in balance and gait speed in comparison with the baseline assessment (p<0.05), and these effects were sustained for two months after hippotherapy. However, there was no significant difference in emotion after hippotherapy.
CONCLUSION
We could observe hippotherapy to be a safe and effective alternative therapy for adult patients with brain disorders in improving balance and gait function. Further future studies are warranted to delineate the benefits of hippotherapy on chronic stroke patients.

Keyword

Brain disorder; Hippotherapy; Balance; Gait

MeSH Terms

Adult
Brain
Brain Diseases
Cerebral Palsy
Compliance
Depression
Equine-Assisted Therapy
Gait
Humans
Male
Pilot Projects
Stroke
Walking

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Hippotherapy.

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