Impact of serial gait analyses on long-term outcome of hippotherapy in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy.

Impact of serial gait analyses on long-term outcome of hippotherapy in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2018 Feb;30:19-23 Authors: Mutoh T, Mutoh T, Tsubone H, Takada M, Doumura M, Ihara M, Shimomura H, Taki Y, Ihara M Abstract The aim of this study was to obtain data of gait parameters on predicting long-term outcome of hippotherapy. In 20 participants (4-19 years; GMFCS levels I to III) with cerebral palsy (CP), gait and balance abilities were examined after 10-m walking test using a portable motion recorder. Hippotherapy was associated with increased Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM)-66 at 1 year from the baseline (P < 0.001). Hippotherapy increased stride length, walking speed, and mean acceleration and decreased horizontal/vertical displacement ratio over time (P < 0.05). Stride length and mean acceleration at 6 weeks predicted the elevation of GMFM-66 score. These data suggest that 1-year outcome of hippotherapy on motor and balance functions can be assessed from the early phase by serial monitoring of the gait parameters. PMID: 29389473 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice - Category: Complementary Medicine Authors: Tags: Complement Ther Clin Pract Source Type: research