The effect of hippotherapy, which will be applied to children with special needs in a single session, on sitting balance and walking speed under the supervision of a physiotherapist was investigated. 30 randomly selected children with special needs between the ages of 3-18 who were referred to the Gebze Equestrian Training Center were included in the study. The children were randomly divided into 3 groups: 10 in the saddle, 10 naked (direct contact with the horse), and 10 in the hippotherapy group, in which a cloth of different texture was placed on the horse. Each group did a 30-minute hippotherapy session in the manege area. Before the application, the sitting balance of the children was evaluated by playing the Nintendo Wii Balance Platform and the Basic Balance Game. In addition, 10 m walking test was applied for walking speed. These assessments were repeated after the 30-minute session. It was checked whether the application had an effect on balance and walking speed. Comparisons between the groups were made and it was examined which application was more effective on balance and walking speed.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
30
Evaluation parameters were applied to 30 children with special needs at the beginning of the session. After the evaluation, each group was given a 30-minute hippotherapy session in the manege area. During the practice, the child simply sat on the horse. The horse was asked to maintain its balance by adapting to the oscillations it creates while walking on the sand. Immediately after the 30-minute application, the initial evaluations were made again. As a result, it was investigated whether hippotherapy applied on different sitting surfaces in children with special needs had an effect on sitting balance and walking speed.
Gebze Municipality Equestrian Training Center
Kocaeli, Gebze, Turkey (Türkiye)
BeCure Balance Evaluation System
BeCure Balance Assessment System protocol; It was planned to determine the amount of change in the center of gravity in the x and y axes and the position of the body center of gravity during balancing by sitting on the board for 30 seconds with eyes open, with images.
Time frame: 11 weeks
Ten(10) Meter Walking Test(sec)
In this test, the person is asked to walk at their own normal pace in a pre-measured 10 meter area (if using walking aid, it will be done with it). The time starts when the person's foot is on the starting line and ends when they cross the finish line. Two measurements are made and the best value is recorded in meters per second (m/s).
Time frame: 11 weeks
Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS)
It was used to evaluate the motor functions of participants with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. It is a standardized method that classifies motor function differences in sitting and walking at 5 levels. If we examine the 5 levels; Level I walks without restrictions; Level II walks with restrictions; Level III walks using hand-held mobility devices; Level IV, independent self-mobility is limited and may use a motorized mobility vehicle; Level V is transported in a manual wheelchair.
Time frame: 11 weeks
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