Effects of Hippotherapy on Physical Fitness and Attention in Cerebral Palsy

Samsung Medical Center

Status: Completed

Conditions: Attention Disorder; Physical Activity; Cerebral Palsy

Treatments: Behavioral: hippotherapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03870893

2017-0665-000

Details and patient eligibility

About

This research analyzes whether hippotherapy improves the physical activity, cardiopulmonary fitness, and attention in children with cerebral palsy and whether this enhances their general health and quality of life.

Full description

This research aims to promote hippotherapy by scientifically proving its therapeutic effects and mechanism to contribute to improving the health and quality of life of the patients as well as reducing their global burden of disease by shifting the current passive "therapy-oriented" paradigm to a more proactive "participation-oriented" paradigm.

Ever since physical activity and physical fitness have been reported to have an inverse relationship with the mortality rate, especially deaths due to cardiovascular disease, various efforts have been made to optimize physical activity and physical fitness among children with cerebral palsy. ADHD is one of the most common coexisting conditions of cerebral palsy. More participation in engaging sports activities like therapeutic riding is anticipated to improve patient health and their quality of life.

Hippotherapy is expected to improve clinical symptom of ADHD in children with cerebral palsy while preventing possible ensuing psychiatric disorders, thereby bringing significant improvement in their health and quality of life.

Enrollment: 47 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 6 to 12 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• diagnosis of spastic CP
• GMFCS level I-III
• weight < 35kg
• ability to walk independently with or without an assistive device
• ability to comply with the study protocol and follow verbal directions

Exclusion criteria

• botulinum toxin injection within 3 months
• orthopedic surgery within 1 year (difficulty performing one step instructions)
• moderate to severe intellectual disability
• uncontrolled seizure
• poor visual or hearing acuity
• patients who weigh more than 35 kg
• hip dislocation
• scoliosis more than 30 degrees
• musculoskeletal surgery within 1 year

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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47 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention group

Experimental group

Description:

Intervention is administered to patients in this Arm.

Treatment:

Behavioral: hippotherapy

control group

No Intervention group

Description:

No intervention