Hippotherapy to Improve the Balance of Children With Movement Disorders (HPOT)

March 10, 2011 updated by: Central Michigan University

Hippotherapy to Improve Balance Deficits in a Cohort of Children With Movement Disorders: A Pilot Study

The purpose of this study is to determine if adding hippotherapy treatment will improve balance for children ages 5-17 who have disabilities such as cerebral palsy and down syndrome. We also want to find out if by improving their balance the children increase their participation in age appropriate activities.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The primary purpose of this study is to determine the effects of hippotherapy on the balance of children with developmental disorders that cause mild to moderate balance problems. The secondary purpose is to determine if the use of hippotherapy also improves perceived functional abilities and thus quality of life as measured by the pediatric balance scale and Activities Scale for Kids (respectively)

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

16

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Michigan
      • Dansville, Michigan, United States, 48854
        • CHUM Therapeutic Riding Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

5 years to 17 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • between the ages of 5 and 17
  • have a neuromuscular diagnosis or confirmed difficulties with balance
  • be able to stand 4 seconds without an assistive device
  • be able to follow testing instructions
  • must be under 250 pounds
  • be able to attend a minimum 10/12 sessions.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • any compounding orthopedic or medical condition not related to the primary developmental diagnosis.
  • previous hippotherapy intervention or therapeutic riding experience
  • allergies or aversion to horses.
  • refusal of parents to sign the therapeutic riding center's liability release form
  • any new treatments (includes therapies, drugs, or other complementary treatments) within one month of the start of the study or plans for new treatments during the intervention period
  • lack of a physician referral for physical therapy

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Treatment group
Children between 5-17 years who have balance deficits related to any movement disorder (preferably neuromuscular)
Other: Hippotherapy
Children will receive treatment by a licensed physical therapist using hippotherapy as the treatment strategy. This includes sitting on a horse who's movement is controlled by a horse leader, with the PT directing the movements required of the horse, as well as supplying supplemental cues to the participant. Alternative positions (such as sitting backward and sideways) may also be used during the treatment session.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pediatric Balance Scale
Time Frame: 8-9 weeks
The Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS) is a standardized 14 item test of various component activities related to balance. It is a modified child version of the adult Berg Balance Scale. The PBS has high total score test-retest reliability of ICC (3,1) =0.998, as well as good interrater reliability (ICC(3,1) = 0.997).1
8-9 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Activities Scale for Kids
Time Frame: 8-9 weeks
Activities Scale for Kids - Participation (ASKp) is a self-administered 30 item questionaire that measures the impact of children's disability to overall function and participation within relevant environments. It correlates well with parent reports on the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (r=0.81, p<0.000) and clinician observations of children's function (ICC=0.92, p<0.000).
8-9 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Central Michigan University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Debbie J Silkwood-Sherer, PT, DHS, Central Michigan University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

September 1, 2006

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2007

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2007

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 9, 2011

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 10, 2011

First Posted (Estimate)

March 11, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

March 11, 2011

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 10, 2011

Last Verified

March 1, 2011

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 09/14/2006

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Cerebral Palsy

Clinical Trials on Hippotherapy

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in United Arab Emirates

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe