The Effectiveness of Hippotherapy to Recover Gross Motor Function in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

By Laura De Guindos-Sanchez,  David Lucena-Anton,  Jose A. Moral-Munoz,  Alejandro Salazar and Ines Carmona-Barrientos

Abstract: 'Cerebral palsy (CP) is a permanent disorder of the posture and movement, which can result in impairments of gross motor function, among others. Hippotherapy (HPT) is an emerging intervention to promote motor recovery in patients with neurological disorders, providing a smooth, precise, rhythmic, and repetitive pattern of movement to the patient.

'The main objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials was to analyze the effectiveness of HPT interventions on gross motor function in subjects with CP....The results obtained in the present review show the potential benefit of HPT intervention in improving gross motor function in children with CP.'

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