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Hippotherapy and Gait

The Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation published research on the effects of hippotherapy on 32 children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy. The children received 2, 30 minute sessions, of hippotherapy for 8 weeks. Walking speed, stride length, and pelvic kinematics (average pelvic anterior tilt, pelvic anterior tilt at initial contact, pelvic anterior tilt at terminal stance) improved significantly following the hippotherapy sessions. In addition, scores for dimension E (walking, running and jumping) of the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM), GMFM-66 and PBS (Pediatric Balance Scale) also showed improvements.

Reference: Jeong-Yi Kwon, Hyun Jung Chang, Ji Young Lee, Yumi Ha, Peter K. Lee, Yun-Hee Kim. Effects of Hippotherapy on Gait Parameters in Children With Bilateral Spastic Cerebral Palsy. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation – May 2011 (Vol. 92, Issue 5, Pages 774-779, DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2010.11.031)