original RESUMOObjetivo. Caracterizar uma amostra de idosos pós Acidente Vascular Cerebral (AVC) agudo internados em uma unidade de AVC de um hospital universitário quanto a variáveis clínicas e motora-funcionais, bem como verificar possíveis ganhos motores durante o período de internação. Método. Estudo observacional retrospectivo com coleta de dados a partir de fichas de avaliação padronizadas do setor de fisioterapia. Foram coletados o sexo e idade dos pacientes, além de variáveis clínicas e motora-funcionais. Estatísticas descritivas para caracterização da amostra foram realizadas. Resultados. De um total de 349 idosos que passaram pela unidade entre maio de 2012 a agosto de 2013, 52% eram homens, a média de idade foi de 73±8,1 anos, sendo que 85% sofreram AVC isquêmico. Os pacientes receberam uma média de 8±9,6 sessões de fisioterapia e foi observado aumento percentual nas variáveis motora-funcionais: controle de tronco sem apoio, equilíbrio estático bom e deambulação sem apoio no momento da avaliação fisioterápica final em comparação à avaliação inicial (aumentos em 13%, 12% e 13%, respectivamente). Conclusões. A identificação clínica e motora-funcional de indivíduos idosos em uma unidade de AVC pode possibilitar o planejamento e implantação de estratégias de reabilitação eficazes tanto na internação quanto após a alta hospitalar.Unitermos. Acidente Vascular Cerebral, Fisioterapia, Idosos, Hospitalização Citação. Silva MCL, Polese JC, Starling JMP, Pereira LSM. Caracterização clínica e motora-funcional de idosos hospitalizados pós-Acidente Vascular Cerebral. ABSTRACTAim. To characterize a sample of elderly after acute stroke admitted to a stroke unit of a university hospital regarding clinical, functional, and motor variables and check possible motor gains during the period of hospitalization. Method. An exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted with data collection from the physical therapy unit assessment standardized files. Sex and age were collected, in addition to clinical and functional and motor variables. In order to characterize the sample, descriptive statistics were performed. Results. A total of 349 elderly post stroke that went through the unit from May 2012 to August 2013, 52 % were men, with an average age of 73±8.1 years, and 85 % suffered ischemic stroke. The average number of physiotherapy sessions received by patients was 8 sessions. There were gains in the percentage values of the variables: trunk control without support, good static balance and ambulation without support for the final physical therapy evaluation compared to baseline (increases by 13%, 12 % and 13 %, respectively). Conclusions. The clinical and motor -functional identification of elderly individuals in a stroke unit can enable the planning and implementation of effective rehabilitation strategies at admission and after discharge.

Background Hippotherapy is a complementary therapeutic modality that seeks to promote functional changes in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Knowledge of the direct and indirect changes resulting from this therapy will help identify which groups of children with cerebral palsy can benefit from this type of therapy. The present study aimed to analyze the effects of hippotherapy for children with cerebral palsy with regard to age, topography, and severity using the rehabilitation treatment taxonomy. Methods We conducted a before-after clinical trial. Thirty-one children with CP, stratified by age (4-7 years; 8-12 years), severity (mild, moderate, severe), topography (hemiplegia, diplegia, quadriplegia) and previous time in hippotherapy (3-6 months, over 6 months) underwent individual weekly 30-minute hippotherapy sessions for 6 months in addition to regular rehabilitation. Postural control and balance were evaluated by the Early Clinical Assessment of Balance (ECAB). Secondary outcome measures included the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) and the Cerebral Palsy Quality of Life for Children self-report of the primary caregiver questionnaire. Blinding was used for scoring the outcome measures. Results Postural control and balance and gross motor function showed small improvements after 6 months of intervention, with larger effects in dimensions D and E of the children’s gross motor function. These changes were influenced by the severity and topography of the CP. The taxonomy of rehabilitation treatments structured the interpretation of the hippotherapy effects, identifying the possible mechanism of action (horse’s step and movement demands), active ingredients (activation of muscles involved in postural correction, vestibular and visual stimuli), target outcomes (postural control and balance) and indirect outcomes (gross motor function and quality of life). Conclusion Hippotherapy sessions, in addition to rehabilitation, produced small, but positive changes in motor and psychosocial outcomes in children with CP. The benefits varied from 3 to 7 points in postural control and balance (ECAB) and in all dimensions of the GMFM. The changes in gross motor function were influenced by the type and severity of CP.