Hippotherapy and Parkinson's Disease

NCT02460796 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: UnBrasilia
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 18
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

BACKGROUND: Motor symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease may impair one's independence and ability to perform daily activities consequently decreases quality of life. Hippotherapy has been shown as an effective treatment to improve function in daily activities and quality of life in other neurological populations, thus a study was conducted to assess the effects of hippotherapy in people with Parkinson's disease. METHODS: Nine volunteers formed the treatment group which participated in a ten-week hippotherapy program, and nine individuals formed the control group (attended a ten-week series of lessons on Parkinson's disease). Outcome measures included 30-second chair stand (as a measure of strength-endurance), gait velocity (during 10m walk test) and health-related quality of life.

Conditions

Quality of Life; Parkinson's Disease

Keywords

Parkinson's disease; Quality of life; Gait velocity; Capacity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Increment of gait speed

  4 weeks

Study Arms (2)

hippotherapy group or study group

8 weeks of hippotherapy therapy: Familiarization sessions were initially 15 minutes and gradually evolved to 30 minutes in order to allow all participants to adapt to the horse's rhythmic movements and to the act of mounting the horse. Each session had warm up before the training and exercises for relaxation in the end of each session.

Other: Hippotherapy

control group

8 weeks of Parkinson's disease lectures: this group did not hippotherapy classes in the same period.

Interventions

Hippotherapy OTHER

The sessions began with a 5 minutes warm up that involved stretching and body awareness exercises. Then, the training was conducted for 20 minutes with arms and torso exercises, changes of direction called serpentine movements; up and down hip movements with feet on stirrups, and forced expiration. In the final 5 minutes, exercises for relaxation were conducted with the horse which involved moving the hand on the horse's neck, laying forward on the head and stroking the horse. The horses walking speed was between 5.8 and 6.4 Km/h.

Also known as: Equine Therapy

hippotherapy group or study group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 65 Years - 83 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

18 volunteers with Parkinson's desease.

You may qualify if:

• Parkinson's disease patient with H\&Y level 3 at least

You may not qualify if:

• Uncontrolled hypertension, unstable cardiovascular disease, chronical disease that can invalidate the research and had practiced riding or hippotherapy six months before the intervention period.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Brasilia: lead
• Wilfrid Laurier University: collaborator

Related Publications (5)

• Han JY, Kim JM, Kim SK, Chung JS, Lee HC, Lim JK, Lee J, Park KY. Therapeutic effects of mechanical horseback riding on gait and balance ability in stroke patients. Ann Rehabil Med. 2012 Dec;36(6):762-9. doi: 10.5535/arm.2012.36.6.762. Epub 2012 Dec 28.

  PMID: 23342307 BACKGROUND

• Lee CW, Kim SG, Yong MS. Effects of hippotherapy on recovery of gait and balance ability in patients with stroke. J Phys Ther Sci. 2014 Feb;26(2):309-11. doi: 10.1589/jpts.26.309. Epub 2014 Feb 28.

  PMID: 24648655 BACKGROUND

• de Araujo TB, de Oliveira RJ, Martins WR, de Moura Pereira M, Copetti F, Safons MP. Effects of hippotherapy on mobility, strength and balance in elderly. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2013 May-Jun;56(3):478-81. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2012.12.007. Epub 2013 Jan 3.

  PMID: 23290005 BACKGROUND

• Janura M, Peham C, Dvorakova T, Elfmark M. An assessment of the pressure distribution exerted by a rider on the back of a horse during hippotherapy. Hum Mov Sci. 2009 Jun;28(3):387-93. doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2009.04.001. Epub 2009 Apr 29.

  PMID: 19406498 BACKGROUND

• Lechner HE, Kakebeeke TH, Hegemann D, Baumberger M. The effect of hippotherapy on spasticity and on mental well-being of persons with spinal cord injury. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2007 Oct;88(10):1241-8. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2007.07.015.

  PMID: 17908564 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Parkinson Disease

Interventions

Equine-Assisted Therapy

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Parkinsonian Disorders; Basal Ganglia Diseases; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Movement Disorders; Synucleinopathies; Neurodegenerative Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Animal Assisted Therapy; Rehabilitation; Aftercare; Continuity of Patient Care; Patient Care; Therapeutics; Physical Therapy Modalities; Psychotherapy; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities

Study Officials

• Rita C Homem, MSc

  UnB

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Ricardo J Oliveira, PhD

  UnB

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Target Duration: 8 Weeks
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: MSc

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 26, 2015
• First Posted: June 2, 2015
• Study Start: June 1, 2013
• Primary Completion: September 1, 2013
• Study Completion: October 1, 2013
• Last Updated: June 3, 2015

Record last verified: 2015-06