|
Hippotherapy
How it Works
Other Uses of Hippotherapy
With any loved activity, fun and health
benefits are enjoyed on many levels. When it comes to hippotherapy,
a type of therapeutic horseback riding, the number and range
of benefits to be realized is surprising.
Hippotherapy is not therapy for hippopotami! The word "hippos"
is Greek for horse. Hippotherapy is therapy that utilizes
a horse as a treatment tool. It is typically used by physical
therapists to improve posture, balance, mobility and function—to
name a few. During treatment, the therapist positions the
patient on the therapy horse and directs the horse's movements.
Physical therapists integrate principles of medical and psychological
treatment in various uses of the horse to produce specific
outcomes.
A therapist is aided by horse handlers or side-walkers. Occasionally
an assistant must sit behind a patient to keep him or her
from falling off, but usually the patient learns to balance.
Team members control the therapy tool (the horse), as well
as the safety of the patient. They allow the therapist to
focus attention on the patient and facilitate normal movement
or interactions. Only carefully trained, mature horses are
used for hippotherapy.
How it Works
One reason hippotherapy is such an
effective physical therapy method is that a horse's gait actually
mimics the human gait. Humans take the same number of steps
per minute as a horse does and they proportion their steps
similarly. That movement passively moves a patient's trunk
and the rhythmic movement of a live animal re-trains the patient's
motor responses. Riding also stretches leg muscles, which
in turn normalizes the muscle tone, reducing spasticity typically
associated with cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. Hippotherapy
also measurably improves posture.
Benefits of hippotherapy abound on many levels: physical,
psychological and emotional. As far as boosting one's emotional
well-being, people enjoy being around the horses. They're
nice creatures and they're fun! Emotional bonding with a horse
is gratifying to both children and adults, so patients are
motivated to do well. Their successes in riding builds self-confidence
and their dreams are realized far beyond the confines of a
disability.
Other
Uses of Hippotherapy
Hippotherapy is also considered an
effective treatment method by speech-language pathologists,
occupational therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists.
Hippotherapy is used to treat children and adults with everything
from cerebral palsy to learning disabilities. The list includes:
multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, amputations,
brain injuries, Down's Syndrome, visual and hearing impairments,
attention deficit disorder, emotional disturbances and learning
disorders.
|
