Physical Therapy Intervention With Hippotherapy (HPOT) Affects Balance Control in the Elderly: A Randomized...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Aging leads to decreased functional abilities, including balance, strength, and coordination, due to neurological and muscular changes.
• Hippotherapy (HPOT) is recognized for its physical and psychological benefits in older adults.
• Assessing dynamic balance in healthy elderly individuals without neurological disorders using objective measures is novel.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of hippotherapy on the dynamic balance of elderly individuals.
• To evaluate changes in fall risk, stability, and sway parameters using the Biodex Balance System SD.

Main Methods:

• Recruited healthy elderly men aged 60-70 with independent mobility and medical clearance.
• Intervention involved 16 sessions of hippotherapy over 8 weeks (two 30-min sessions/week).
• Measured fall risk, stability index, balance index, anterior-posterior deviation, and mediolateral deviation using the Biodex Balance System SD.

Main Results:

• Hippotherapy significantly reduced fall risk (p=0.000, η=0.77).
• Significant improvements were observed in stability index (p=0.041, η=0.15), anterior-posterior sway (p=0.013, η=0.39), mediolateral sway (p=0.002, η=0.54), and balance index (p=0.008, η=0.43).
• All measured balance variables showed noteworthy distinctions between the intervention and control groups.

Conclusions:

• Hippotherapy significantly enhances dynamic balance in physically active elderly individuals.
• The findings suggest HPOT can improve quality of life for older adults.
• Results provide valuable information for professionals working with the elderly population.