BackgroundSpastic cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common type of CP. Hip adductor spasticity leads to discomfort, stiffness, and difficulties in doing physical activities such as sitting, transfer, and walking. Management of hip adductor spasticity is still a challenge in the field of rehabilitation. Horse riding simulator (HRS) has been reported to have beneficial effects on spasticity, postural control, and motor function in children with spastic CP.ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to determine the immediate effect of HRS on adductor spasticity in children with CP.MethodsTwenty‐four children with CP were selected and were divided into two groups: experimental and control (12 children in each group). Experimental group was exposed to HRS and control group to the corner seat placement. Adductor tone and passive hip abduction range of motion were measured before and after the intervention.ResultsPost intervention scores in the group of HRS show significant reduction in adductor spasticity and improvement in hip abduction range of motion, whereas no difference have been reported in the control group. HRS has positive effects on reducing spasticity and improving range of motion in hip joint in spastic CP.ConclusionIt was concluded that immediate effect of HRS is successful in reducing the adductor spasticity and improving abduction range of motion in hip, which could be incorporated with regular physiotherapy intervention.

Background: 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. Objective: 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). Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusion: 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.

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Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the leading causes of childhood disability worldwide. The exact etiology of CP is poorly understood, but many risk factors are related to problems during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. The age and sex-matched control study were done to evaluate the association of perinatal risk factors with the development of CP among children in a rural area. Methods: The study was conducted in the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR). Seventy clinically diagnosed CP children as cases and 70 children without CP as controls were included. Information regarding perinatal risk factors was collected from the parents of the children. Data were collected and statistically analyzed by using the Mc-Nemar chi-square test. Results:The study results suggested that children with male sex (53%) had a higher incidence of CP compared to female (47%) children. Spastic diplegia (60%) was the most common subtype of CP. The significant 'p' value (< 0.01) reveals that all the perinatal risk factors are associated with the development of CP. Conclusion:This study concluded that spastic diplegia was the most common subtype of CP. The perinatal risk factors such as preterm, low birth weight, birth asphyxia, and neonatal seizures had a significant association with the development of CP.

Background: Mechanical Horse Riding Simulator (MHRS) is one of the complementary therapy used in the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy which produces rhythmical and repetitive movements. It is working under the principles of hippotherapy and considered an alternative method for hippotherapy. Purpose: This study aimed to nd out the effectiveness of a mechanical horse riding simulator on hip abduction range of motion in children with spastic diplegia and evaluate the magnitude of improvement at different periods (2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 6 weeks). This study included 30 childre Methods: n with spastic diplegia and was divided into two groups, the experimental and the control group. The experimental group received 15 minutes of complementary therapy with MHRS, 3 days/ week for 6 weeks along with regular physiotherapy, while the control group received 15 minutes of conventional trunk control exercise along with the regular physiotherapy session. Hip abduction passive range of motion (PROM) was measured with the Goniometer. Pre and postintervention scores were recorded and analyzed with appropriate statistical tools. The baseline characteristics were similar in both Results: groups before the intervention with the p-value (p>0.01). The observed mean value of hip abduction PROM has been improved in both groups over 6 weeks and the experimental group shows signicantly better improvement (p<0.01) than the control group in all the weeks. Conclusion: The study results conrmed that gradual improvement of hip abduction passive range of motion (both sides) was observed in both groups. Children exposed to MHRS show better improvement than the children in the control group. It was concluded that the MHRS is an effective complementary therapy improving hip abduction passive range of motion (both sides) in children with spastic diplegia and the provision of MHRS in longer duration provides more benets than the shorter duration.