Article

Postural instability is an important pathomarker in children with
cerebral palsy (CP), and is often implicated in gait disturbance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of long-term
robotic hippotherapy (HPOT) on postural muscles size and static and dynamic
postural stability in a child with CP. METHODS: Ultrasonography was used to
measure postural muscles size. We also evaluated the magnitude of the separation
between the center of pressure (COP) and center of mass (COM) during quiet stance
and gait initiation (GI) using an eight-camera motion capture system and two
force plates. Robotic HPOT was provided as a 45-minute session once per week for
12 weeks. RESULTS: As transverse abdominal (12%) and lumbar multifidus (60%)
muscles size improved, normalized sway area (16%) during the quiet stance
decreased. Similarly, the maximal resultant COP-COM distance (12.84%) during the
initial phase of GI increased. CONCLUSIONS: In a child with CP, robotic HPOT may
be an important treatment for improving postural muscles size and postural stability in static and dynamic states.
- Equithérapie

Langue : ANGLAIS