title: Effect of an equine-movement therapy program on gait, energy expenditure, and motor function in children with spastic cerebral palsy: a pilot study.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of an 8-week program of hippotherapy on energy expenditure during walking; on the gait dimensions of stride length, velocity, and cadence; and on performance on the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) in five children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). A repeated-measures within-subjects design was used consisting of two baseline measurements taken 8 weeks apart, followed by an 8-week intervention period, then a posttest. After hippotherapy, all five children showed a significant decrease (X2(r)=7.6, P<0.05) in energy expenditure during walking and a significant increase (X2(r)=7.6, P<0.05) in scores on Dimension E (Walking, Running, and Jumping) of the GMFM. A trend toward increased stride length and decreased cadence was observed. This study suggests that hippotherapy may improve energy expenditure during walking and gross motor function in children with CP.
authors.affiliation: Therapeutic Riding of Tucson, AZ, USA.
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: McGibbon
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Widener
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Cintas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016138:Walking