Electromyographic analysis of children with intellectual disability during hippotherapy compared to independent gait

Aim: analyze the electrical activity of muscles of trunk and lower limbs of children with Intellectual disability (ID) during hippotherapy compared to independent gait before and after 15 sessions. Materials and Methods: eight children with ID and mean age of 11 ± 1.69 years participated. Hippotherapy sessions were performed for 30 minutes, once a week, with horse riding equipment blanket without foot support in the stirrups. The surface electromyography was used to access muscles activity during hippotherapy and gait and between pre- and post- 15 sessions. Results: when comparing hippotherapy to gait, there was greater muscle activity during gait, regardless of the moment analyzed, pre- or post-session (p<0.05). However, when comparing pre- to post-sessions moments, during gait there was a significant decrease in muscle activity (p<0.05) after sessions, while, in hippotherapy was observed a significant increase (p<0.05) after sessions. Conclusion: the electromyographic activity of trunk and lower limbs of children with ID is greater during gait compared to hippotherapy, regardless of the moment, reporting the beneficial effects of hippotherapy from the integration of musculoskeletal, sensory and neural systems on muscle behavior during independent gait

Evaluation of the functional mobility and balance of adolescents with Down’s Syndrome treated in Hippotherapy and Physiotherapy

Introdução: A hipotonia muscular, característica da Síndrome de Down compromete a mobilidade funcional, o desempenho muscular e consequentemente interfere nas atividades da vida diária.Objetivos: Avaliar os efeitos da Equoterapia e da Fisioterapia sobre a mobilidade funcional  e equilíbrio de adolescentes com síndrome de Down.Materiais e Métodos: O estudo incluiu 14 sujeitos com síndrome de Down divididos em dois grupos: nove (seis masculinos e três femininos) no grupo Equoterapia e cinco (três masculinos e dois femininos) no grupo Fisioterapia, idade média 13,2 ±2,2 e 14,2 ±3,1 anos, respectivamente. Foram realizados 30 atendimentos, com duração de 30 minutos cada, uma vez por semana, de acordo com os tipos de intervenções para cada grupo, Equoterapia e Fisioterapia. A mobilidade funcional  e equilíbrio foi avaliada no pré e pós intervenções por meio do teste TimedUpand Go.Resultados: Analisando o teste TimedUpand Go, foi possível observar diferenças estatisticamente significantes (p=0,006) no grupo Equoterapia, comparando-se o pré e pós intervenção (1º e 30º atendimentos).Conclusão: A Equoterapia foi capaz de proporcionar melhora na mobilidade funcional e no equilíbrio dinâmico quando comparada à Fisioterapia. No entanto, ambas as intervenções são práticas seguras para a reabilitação de indivíduos com síndrome de Down.Introduction: A muscle hypotonia, the Down Syndrome compromises functional mobility, muscle performance and consequently interferes with activities of daily living.Objectives: Analyze the effects of hippotherapy and physiotherapy on functional mobility and balance in adolescents with Down syndrome.Materials and Methods: The study includes 14 individuals with Down syndrome divided into two groups: nine (six male and three female) in the Horse-assisted therapy group and five (three male and two female) in the Physiotherapy group, mean age 13.2 ± 2, 2 and 14.2 ± 3.1 years, respectively. Thirty projects were carried out, lasting 30 minutes each, once a week, according to the types of application for each group, Horse-assisted therapy and Physiotherapy. Functional mobility and balance was assessed in pre and post-alteration using the TimedUpand Go test.Results: By analyzing or testing the TimedUpand Go, it was possible to observe statistically significant differences (p = 0.006) in the Horse-assisted therapy group, comparing it or pretest (1st and 30th ventures).Conclusion: Riding Therapy was able to improve functional mobility and dynamic balance when compared to Horseassisted therapy. However, some are safe practical practices for Down syndrome rehabilitation

Electromyographic analysis of stomatognathic muscles in elderly after hippotherapy.

The aging process affects the entire human body, including the stomatognathic system, and can trigger not only occlusal but also postural imbalances involving other muscular chains. Hippotherapy has been used to promote cervical, postural, and balance control in individuals with diverse impairments. The present study used electromyography to evaluate the masseter and temporal muscles in an elderly population pre- and post-hippotherapy. Participants included 17 individuals, mean age 66,5±7 years. Electromyographic recording of the bilateral masseter and temporal muscles was performed during the postural resting condition and activities that involved the active participation of these muscles in different conditions. The practitioner performed no other type of activity or exercise during the intervention because the objective is to evaluate the effect of the three-dimensional movement provided by the horse. Raw electromyographic data were tabulated using commercially available software (IBM® SPSS® Statistics 234.0) and subjected to statistical analysis, in which p ≤ 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Post-hippotherapy, there was lower electromyographic activity for the masseter and temporalis muscles in all the static mandibular tasks, with significant effect for time for the right temporal muscle (p = 0.038), the left temporal muscle (p = 0.028) and in the all dynamic mandibular tasks for the left temporal muscle (p = 0.025) and the left masseter muscle (p = 0.027). Hippotherapy promotes a reduction in the myoelectric activity of the masticatory muscles of elderly individuals