Overall Gross Motor Function
Park et al. (2014) addressed the impact of hippotherapy on functional performance and gross motor function of 34 children (3-12 years of age) with spastic CP. The participants took part in forty-five minute hippotherapy sessions twice a week for an eight week period. These sessions were lead by a registered occupational therapist. The motor function of the participants were tested before, during, and after the hippotherapy intervention and compared with a control group of 21 children who also had CP. The quantitative outcome measurement tests utilized were: GMFM-66 and GMFM-88. After intervention, the hippotherapy group had improved significantly more than the control group in total GMFM 66 scores. The hippotherapy group had also improved significantly within all dimensions of GMFM-88, while the control group had only improved …show more content…
The children were randomized to hippotherapy for eight minutes or sitting on a stationary barrel for eight minutes. The primary outcome measure was an EMG test, which measured trunk and upper legs while partaking in sitting, standing, and walking tasks. EMG measurements were taken before and after each intervention. The results of the study were that eight minutes of hippotherapy, without being on a stationary barrel, improved muscle activity in children with CP. Concluding that the movement of the horse is more beneficial than a stationary barrel in children with CP. The children showed the most improvement while riding a live horse and actively using their muscles. After hippotherapy, significant improvement in symmetry of muscle activity was noted in those muscle groups displaying the highest asymmetry prior to hippotherapy. Key limitations for this study were a small group of participants and a short intervention period (Benda, et al.,
Park et al. (2014) addressed the impact of hippotherapy on functional performance and gross motor function of 34 children (3-12 years of age) with spastic CP. The participants took part in forty-five minute hippotherapy sessions twice a week for an eight week period. These sessions were lead by a registered occupational therapist. The motor function of the participants were tested before, during, and after the hippotherapy intervention and compared with a control group of 21 children who also had CP. The quantitative outcome measurement tests utilized were: GMFM-66 and GMFM-88. After intervention, the hippotherapy group had improved significantly more than the control group in total GMFM 66 scores. The hippotherapy group had also improved significantly within all dimensions of GMFM-88, while the control group had only improved …show more content…
The children were randomized to hippotherapy for eight minutes or sitting on a stationary barrel for eight minutes. The primary outcome measure was an EMG test, which measured trunk and upper legs while partaking in sitting, standing, and walking tasks. EMG measurements were taken before and after each intervention. The results of the study were that eight minutes of hippotherapy, without being on a stationary barrel, improved muscle activity in children with CP. Concluding that the movement of the horse is more beneficial than a stationary barrel in children with CP. The children showed the most improvement while riding a live horse and actively using their muscles. After hippotherapy, significant improvement in symmetry of muscle activity was noted in those muscle groups displaying the highest asymmetry prior to hippotherapy. Key limitations for this study were a small group of participants and a short intervention period (Benda, et al.,