Effects of Hippotherapy on Gross Motor Function and Functional Performance of Children with Cerebral Palsy

• Published in: Yonsei medical journal Vol. 55; no. 6; pp. 1736 - 1742
• Main Authors: Park, Eun Sook, Rha, Dong-Wook, Shin, Jung Soon, Kim, Soohyeon, Jung, Soojin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Yonsei University College of Medicine 01.11.2014; 연세대학교의과대학
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Cerebral Palsy - physiopathology; Cerebral Palsy - rehabilitation; Cerebral Palsy - therapy; Child; Child, Preschool; Disability Evaluation; Equine-Assisted Therapy; Female; Humans; Male; Motor Skills; Original; Outcome and Process Assessment (Health Care); Physical Therapy Modalities; Recovery of Function; 의학일반; Cerebral palsy; disability evaluation; function; hippotherapy; spastic; physical activity
• ISSN: 0513-5796; 1976-2437; 1976-2437
• DOI: 10.3349/ymj.2014.55.6.1736

The purpose of our study was to investigate the effects of hippotherapy on gross motor function and functional performance in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). We recruited 34 children (M:F=15:19, age: 3-12 years) with spastic CP who underwent hippotherapy for 45 minutes twice a week for 8 weeks. Twenty-one children with spastic CP were recruited for control group. The distribution of gross motor function classification system level and mean age were not significantly different between the two groups. Outcome measures, including the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM)-66, GMFM-88 and the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory: Functional Skills Scale (PEDI-FSS), were assessed before therapy and after the 8-weeks intervention as outcome measures. There were no significant differences between intervention and control groups in mean baseline total scores of GMFM-66, GMFM-88 or PEDI-FSS. After the 8-weeks intervention, mean GMFM-66 and GMFM-88 scores were significantly improved in both groups. However, the hippotherapy group had significantly greater improvement in dimension E and GMFM-66 total score than the control group. The total PEDI-FSS score and the sub-scores of its 3 domains were significantly improved in the hippotherapy group, but not in the control group. The results of our study demonstrate the beneficial effects of hippotherapy on gross motor function and functional performance in children with CP compared to control group. The significant improvement in PEDI-FSS scores suggests that hippotherapy may be useful to maximize the functional performance of children with CP.