Hippotherapy in the postural control and balance in individuals with cerebral palsy: systematic review

Abstract

© 2015, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo. All rights reserved. Cerebral palsy (CP) is characterized by a non-progressive injury to the brain development resulting in muscle tone change of posture and movement. A major goal of therapy is to improve posture and balance that are the basis for other more elaborate motor activities. Horseback riding therapy uses the horse as a resource kinesio therapeutic order to promote these benefits, and other physical, psychological and social improvements. Objective. To conduct a systematic review of scientific articles that investigate the effects of hippotherapy in postural control and balance of children with cerebral palsy. Method. The survey was conducted in different databases with the following keywords: equine therapy, cerebral palsy, balance and postural control. Results. We selected 22 cases and performed quality of evidence analysis using the PEDro scale. The results were discussed focusing on the following: published magazine and its impact factor, type of methodological research, characterization of study participants, evaluation instrument, description of hippotherapy sessions and the effects of the intervention. Conclusion. Studies have shown that hippotherapy intervention has positive effects on postural control and balance in individuals with cerebral palsy. However, the methodological quality of studies was low suggesting the need for more research with greater methodological rigor.