title: Different horse's paces during hippotherapy on spatio-temporal parameters of gait in children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy: A feasibility study.
abstract: Hippotherapy is often carried out for the rehabilitation of children with Cerebral Palsy (CP), with the horse riding at a walking pace. This study aimed to explore the immediate effects of a hippotherapy protocol using a walk-trot pace on spatio-temporal gait parameters and muscle tone in children with Bilateral Spastic CP (BS-CP). Ten children diagnosed with BS-CP and 10 healthy aged-matched children (reference group) took part in this study. The children with BS-CP underwent two sessions of hippotherapy for one week of washout between them. Two protocols (lasting 30min) were applied on separate days: Protocol 1: the horse's pace was a walking pace; and Protocol 2: the horse's pace was a walk-trot pace. Children from the reference group were not subjected to treatment. A wireless inertial measurement unit measured gait spatio-temporal parameters before and after each session. The Modified Ashworth Scale was applied for muscle tone measurement of hip adductors. The participants underwent the gait assessment on a path with surface irregularities (ecological context). The comparisons between BS-CP and the reference group found differences in all spatio-temporal parameters, except for gait velocity. Within-group analysis of children with BS-CP showed that the swing phase did not change after the walk pace and after the walk-trot pace. The percentage of rolling phase and double support improved after the walk-trot. The spasticity of the hip adductors was significantly reduced as an immediate result of both protocols, but this decrease was more evident after the walk-trot. The walk-trot protocol is feasible and is able to induce an immediate effect that improves the gait spatio-temporal parameters and the hip adductors spasticity.
authors: Rehabilitation Sciences Graduate Program, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Brazil.
authors: Fabiane Nunes
authors: FN
authors: Antunes
authors: Health Sciences Graduate Program, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Brazil; Movement Analysis and Neurological Rehabilitation Laboratory, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Brazil.
authors: Alexandre Severo do
authors: ASD
authors: Pinho
authors: Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy.
authors: Ana Francisca Rozin
authors: AFR
authors: Kleiner
authors: Health Sciences Graduate Program, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Brazil; Movement Analysis and Neurological Rehabilitation Laboratory, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Brazil; Schoolarship fellow of Technical and Industrial, Development of Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Rio Grande do Sul (Fapergs)-Foundation for Research Support of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors: Ana Paula
authors: AP
authors: Salazar
authors: Rehabilitation Sciences Graduate Program, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Brazil.
authors: Giovana Duarte
authors: GD
authors: Eltz
authors: Rehabilitation Sciences Graduate Program, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Brazil.
authors: Alcyr Alves
authors: AA
authors: de Oliveira Junior
authors: Rehabilitation Sciences Graduate Program, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Brazil.
authors: Fernanda
authors: F
authors: Cechetti
authors: Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy; Motion analysis Lab, IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy.
authors: Manuela
authors: M
authors: Galli
authors: Rehabilitation Sciences Graduate Program, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Brazil; Health Sciences Graduate Program, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Brazil; Movement Analysis and Neurological Rehabilitation Laboratory, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Brazil. Electronic address: alinespagnussat@gmail.com.
authors: Aline Souza
authors: AS
authors: Pagnussat
mesh_terms: D061725:Accelerometry; D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D056147:Equine-Assisted Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009128:Muscle Spasticity; D009129:Muscle Tonus; D000072797:Walking Speed
keywords: Accelerometer; Ecological evaluation; Equine-assisted therapy; Physiotherapy; Rehabilitation