The Benefit of Hippotherapy in Stroke Patients

University Hospital Center (CHU) of Liege

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Stroke

Treatments: Behavioral: Hippotherapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05345886

2021/289

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to explore the interest of hippotherapy in the management of patients with stroke in the sequelae phase by evaluating the psychological and physical well-being. It is a controlled and randomized prospective longitudinal study.

Hippotherapy is a rehabilitation method entrusted to a paramedical or medical profession that uses the horse in its treatment program in addition to conventional medical care.

Hippotherapy has benefits at the psychomotor and motor level. The method is based on the use of the horse's characteristic movements when walking to provide sensory information and to induce motor adjustment responses mainly at the level of the pelvis and the trunk of the rider in order to work on balance, postural control, muscle tone and joint mobility of the patient sitting on his back. In particular for people with paresis or plegia sequelae, it contributes to rehabilitation programs. In addition, by inducing a helical movement of the pelvis, the horse's walk reproduces in the the disabled rider a pattern of trunk reactions very similar to that of the normal human walking pattern. This pattern can be integrated as a normal sensorimotor reaction and help the patient to improve his sitting balance and his coordination.

Hippotherapy is also interesting because getting out of the traditional rehabilitation framework and being in contact with an imposing animal has positive repercussions on the psyche and therefore on functional recovery.

All patients will undergo an assessment that will focus on their physical and psychological well-being at the beginning and end of the study as well as during a follow-up at 2 weeks, one month and 3 months.

Patients assigned to the experimental group (EG) will receive, in addition to their physical therapy, a weekly hippotherapy session of 30 minutes. The follow-up will take place during 3 months for a total of 12 sessions. The EG will also be monitored in the short term (before and after each session) for well-being and fatigue.

Quality of life will be explored using the SF-36 questionnaire and the SS-QOL scale. Self-esteem will be measured using the Rosenberg scale. Patients' physical abilities will be assessed with functional tests, standing balance measurements on a strength platform and the ABC-S self-evaluation scale.

Enrollment: 50 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• patients who have suffered a stroke and who are in a sequelae phase (after hospitalization or discharge from the rehabilitation center)
• patients who have sufficient trunk balance to hold on to the horse
• patients who have the consent of their doctor
• patients who indicated their agreement to participate in the study by signing the consent form

Exclusion criteria

• pressure sore at the seat level
• other lesion or neurological history
• severe cognitive deficits affecting the understanding
• do not understand French language
• allergy to horses
• weigh more than 100 kg
• acute pain syndrome
• epilepsy
• patient has benefited from hippotherapy sessions during the last 6 months

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

50 participants in 2 patient groups

Hippotherapy

Experimental group

Description:

The experimental group will receive 30 minutes of hippotherapy once a week for 12 weeks.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Hippotherapy

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

The control group will receive its rehabilitation care