Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 20, 2026
Repeated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Combined with Action Observation Training in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy
Published on: August 9, 2024
The short-term effect of hippotherapy on spasticity in patients with spinal cord injury
H E Lechner1, S Feldhaus, L Gudmundsen
1Institute for Clinical Research, Swiss Paraplegic Centre, Nottwil, Switzerland.
Study Design:
Assessment of spasticity before and after hippotherapy treatment.
Objective:
To evaluate the short-term effect of hippotherapy on spasticity of spinal cord injured patients (SCIs).
Setting:
Swiss Paraplegic Centre, Nottwil.
Methods:
32 patients with spinal cord injury with various degrees of spasticity had repeated sessions (mean 11) of Hippotherapy-K. Spasticity of the lower extremities was scored according to the Ashworth Scale.
Results:
In primary rehabilitation patients Ashworth values after hippotherapy were significantly lower than before (Wilcoxon's signed-rank test: P<0.001). Highest improvements were observed in SCIs with very high spasticity. No significant difference between short-term effect in paraplegic and short-term effect in tetraplegic subjects was found.
Conclusions:
Hippotherapy significantly reduces spasticity of lower extremities in SCIs.