Angular kinematics of the gait of children with Down's syndrome after intervention with hippotherapy

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effect of a program of horseback riding therapy on the angular kinematics of the ankle and knee in children with Down's syndrome. Method: The study group was composed of three male children with a mean age of 7.3 years (±2.08). The analyses were done individually and the post-test was performed after thirteen treatment sessions. The duration of each horseback riding therapy session was fifty minutes, and the interval between sessions was seven days. The gait analysis was carried out using the Peak Motus™ system. Results: Statistical differences in ankle joint were observed for all subjects. For knee joint, differences were found at different moments of the cycle, without presenting any observable trend. Conclusion: Horseback riding therapy produced positive changes in the angular behavior of the ankle and little effect on the knee. © Revista Brasileira de Fisioterapia.