Hippotherapy Simulator in Children With Cerebral Palsy

The aim of this study was to research the effects of hippotherapy simulator in children with Cerebral Palsy. In order to evaluate its effectiveness, assessment of gross motor functions, lower extremity functions, muscle tone and spasticity, trunk control, sitting and standing balance, walking functions and functional independence were being applied.

"Cerebral Palsy (CP) describes a group of permanent disorders of the development of movement and posture, causing activity limitation, that is attributed to nonprogressive disturbances that occurred in the developing fetal or infant brain." The motor disorders of CP are often accompanied by disturbances of sensation, perception, cognition, communication, and behavior, by epilepsy, and by secondary musculoskeletal problems. CP is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in early childhood, continues for life and causes physical impairment. Damage occurring in the developing brain results in voluntary movement, postural and motor control disorders, balance problems and gait disorders. Hippotherapy is used effectively in increasing the participation of children with CP by improving their balance, motor function, posture and mobility and improving their quality of life. Although hippotherapy has many physical, functional, emotional and social benefits for children with CP, it also has some disadvantages that limit its use in the treatment of these children. There are risks such as serious injuries caused by children being afraid of a horse, falling from a horse or kicking a horse, increased hypertonicity due to fear and stress on the horse and exposure to allergic reactions due to environmental antigens. In order to overcome these conditions and reach more patients, hippotherapy simulator systems, which have been increasing rapidly in recent years, have been developed. Hippotherapy simulators are systems that mimic the walking and movements of a real horse. As they are a newly developed system, studies investigating their effectiveness, especially in children with CP, are very limited. The aim of this study is to research the effects of hippotherapy simulator on gross motor functions, lower extremity functions, muscle tone and spasticity, trunk control, sitting and standing balance, walking functions and functional independence in children with Cerebral Palsy.