Hippotherapy - Indications and Effectiveness
Hippotherapy can be used as an addition to regular therapy. Hippotherapy improves balance an muscle control. Studies show that hippotherapy shortens recovery times.
Horses are used for a variety of reasons. For starters the rhytmic movement stimulates anterior and posterior swinging momevements. Next to that the movement stimulates the patient to achieve a proper balance and posture. In addition to that the horse provides a large spectrum of sensory and motor imput.
Acording to this article a Hippotherapy team should consist of a therapist, a horse carer and the patient. Hippotherapy can be used for different indications such as: cerebral palsy, traumatic brain damage, eating disorders, down synrome, autistic behavioural disorders, muscular dystrophy, amputated patients, cerebrovasculair diseases, spinal cord, diseases, rheumatismal joint diseases, mental problems and even more indications.
Hippotherapy can be helpfull for occupational therapists, physical therapists and even speech and language therapists. The effectivenes of hippotherapy has been confirmed in a large patient group. The effectivenes has been proven when the therapy was applied by an experienced and trained therapist with the aid of a horse.
> From: Koca et al., North Clin Istanb 2(3) (2015) 247-252. All rights reserved to Istanbul Nothern Anatolian Association of Public Hospitals. Click here for the online summary.
