Effects of hippotherapy on motor function of children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review study

Cerebral palsy includes a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders caused by brain damage, leading to impairment of movement, posture, and balance for a lifetime. There are many therapeutic interventions for cerebral palsy. One of them is hippotherapy, an alternative physical therapy. It is a type o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Italian journal of pediatrics Vol. 50; no. 1; pp. 188 - 11
Main Authors:	Plotas, Panagiotis, Papadopoulos, Angelos, Apostolelli, Evangelia-Maria, Vlachou, Eleni, Gazou, Foteini, Zogopoulou, Ioanna, Katsaidoni, Ioanna, Panagiotopoulou, Ioanna, Paparouna, Sofia Paraskevi, Silavou, Nikolina, Fragkiadaki, Katerina, Tsiamaki, Eirini, Fouzas, Sotirios, Sinopidis, Xenophon, Trimmis, Nikolaos
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England BMC 19-09-2024
Subjects:	Adolescent Alternative physical therapy Animals Cerebral palsy Cerebral Palsy - physiopathology Cerebral Palsy - therapy Child Child, Preschool Equine-Assisted Therapy Hippotherapy Horse-riding simulator Horses Humans Motor skills Motor Skills - physiology Systematic review Treatment Outcome Cerebral palsy Effectiveness Motor skills Systematic review Alternative physical therapy Children Hippotherapy Horse-riding simulator
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Summary:	Cerebral palsy includes a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders caused by brain damage, leading to impairment of movement, posture, and balance for a lifetime. There are many therapeutic interventions for cerebral palsy. One of them is hippotherapy, an alternative physical therapy. It is a type of equine-assisted activity and therapy where children with cerebral palsy and motor function skills interact with a horse. We aimed to study the effects of hippotherapy, as an alternative therapy, on the motor function of children with cerebral palsy. We performed a review of the latest literature on hippotherapy and cerebral palsy. The criteria we used were specific keywords, publication date, age of the subjects/studied population, and article type. The outcome of our research resulted in ten relevant studies. The findings demonstrate improvements in various aspects of motor function - more specifically in gross motor function skills, balance, coordination, gait parameters, and muscle strength. Two of ten studies used the Horse-Riding Simulator with significant improvements in postural control in sitting, motor function, and hip abduction range of motion. Hippotherapy can improve motor function skills of children between 2 and 14 years of age with cerebral palsy, affecting their well-being and overall quality of life. It can have a positive effect either as a standalone treatment or as a part of other traditional therapies. Extended research is needed to assess whether hippotherapy may present significant long-term changes in motor skills in children with cerebral palsy.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Undefined-3
ISSN:	1824-7288 1824-7288
DOI:	10.1186/s13052-024-01715-9