Evaluation of therapeutic riding (Sweden)/hippotherapy (United States). A single-subject experimental design study replicated in eleven patients with multiple sclerosis

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate whether therapeutic riding (TR, Sweden) hippotherapy (HT, United States) may affect balance, gait, spasticity, functional strength, coordination, pain, self-rated level of muscle tension (SRLMT), activities of daily living (ADL), and health-related quality of life. Eleven patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) were studied in a single-subject experimental design iSSED) study, type A-B-A. The intervention comprised ten weekly TR/HT sessions of 30 minutes each. The subjects were measured a maximum of 13 times. Physical tests were: the Berg balance scale, talking a figure of eight, the timed up and go test, 10 m walking, the modified Ashworth scale, the Index of Muscle Function, the Birgitta Lindmark motor assessment, part B, and individual measurements. Self-rated measures were. the Visual Analog Scale for pain, a scale for SRLMT, the Patient-Specific Functional Scale for ADL, and the SF-36. Data were analyzed visually, semi-statistically and considering clinical significance. Results showed improvement for ten subjects in one or more of the variables, particularly balance, and some improvements were also seen in pain, muscle tension, and ADL. Changes in SF-36 were mostly positive, with an improvement in Role-Emotional seen in eight patients. Conclusively, balance and Role-Emotional were the variables most often improved, but TR/HT appeared to benefit the subjects differently.

Effects of hippotherapy on posture in individuals with Down Syndrome

“…Hippotherapy is a physical treatment strategy, in which the horse movement promotes physical and psychological improvements in the overall development of people with or without mobility problems, and is considered a multisensory technique for treating diseases or syndromes with physical or neurological impairments (7). The riding position held by the individual, combined with the movement produced by the horse stride, requires postural adjustments and dissociation of the pelvic and shoulder girdles, causing reactions of trunk rectificationand tonic adjustmentsthat dynamically search for postural stability and control (8,9).…”

Efeito da equoterapia na estabilidade postural de portadores de esclerose múltipla: estudo preliminar

“…Once MS involves a wide range of symptoms, the rehabilitation of these patients requires a multidisciplinary approach 17 , and more satisfactory results are observed with techniques that make use of sensory strategies 16 . In the past decades, the effectiveness of hippotherapy 18 as a therapeutic method has been described in a series of neurologic conditions that compromise postural control and mobility [19][20][21][22] . This method requires postural reactions combined with the dissociation of the pelvic and scapular waist, and constant tonic adjustments, besides varying the visual information in quantity and magnitude, and also increasing the demand for sensory information sent to the vestibular system 19,20 .…”

“…In the past decades, the effectiveness of hippotherapy 18 as a therapeutic method has been described in a series of neurologic conditions that compromise postural control and mobility [19][20][21][22] . This method requires postural reactions combined with the dissociation of the pelvic and scapular waist, and constant tonic adjustments, besides varying the visual information in quantity and magnitude, and also increasing the demand for sensory information sent to the vestibular system 19,20 . Up to the present moment, two articles investigating the effect of the hippotherapy intervention on the balance of patients with MS have been found 20,23 .…”

“…This method requires postural reactions combined with the dissociation of the pelvic and scapular waist, and constant tonic adjustments, besides varying the visual information in quantity and magnitude, and also increasing the demand for sensory information sent to the vestibular system 19,20 . Up to the present moment, two articles investigating the effect of the hippotherapy intervention on the balance of patients with MS have been found 20,23 . These studies used the Berg scale to measure functional balance.…”

A Systematic Review of Hippotherapy (horseback riding) for Individuals with Autism is the Cognitive Level Considered?

“…HT involves a nonverbal interaction as horses respond to the rider's signals [14]. HT intervention, has been reported to improve attention span [15], balance, posture [16] and communication abilities [17], reduce fear of movement [18], increase participants' verbalizations [19] and improve other aspects of cognitive function [20,21], as well as emotional [22] and social skills [23], contributing to a general improvement in quality of life [24]. Most of the above mentioned articles emphasized the physical benefits of HT for individuals with cerebral palsy.…”