Effectiveness of Mechanical Horse-Riding Simulators on Postural Balance in Neurological Rehabilitation: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Mechanical horse-riding simulators consist of a device that mimics the movement of a real horse, generating between 50 and 100 three-dimensional physical movements (forward and back, left and right, up and down). The main objective of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of mechanical horse-riding simulators to improve postural balance in subjects with neurological disorders. The search was conducted during January–March 2019 in PubMed, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), Cochrane, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Scopus. The methodological quality of the studies was evaluated through the PEDro scale. A total of seven articles were included in this systematic review, of which four contributed information to the meta-analysis. Statistical analysis showed favorable results for balance in stroke patients, measured by the Berg Balance Scale (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 3.24; 95%; confidence interval (CI): 1.66–4.83). Not conclusive results were found in sitting postural balance, measured using the Gross Motor Function Measure-66 (GMFM-66) Sitting Dimension, in patients with cerebral palsy. Most studies have shown beneficial effects on postural balance compared with conventional physical therapy. However, due to the limited number of articles and their low methodological quality, no solid conclusions can be drawn about the effectiveness of this therapy.

Benefits of Equine-Assisted Therapies in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review

“…This is relevant, since EAT is usually expensive due to animal care or displacement. Thus, previous studies have analyzed the effects of horse-riding simulators in special populations [ 11 , 39 ]. These simulators mimic horse movements, leading to postural responses [ 38 ] with fewer costs than real horses [ 40 ].…”

O uso da telereabilitação para melhora do equilíbrio nas disfunções neurológicas

“…sistema vestibular, visual, núcleos da base, cerebelo) para, com isso, o controle postural ocorra de maneira eficiente 6 . Desse modo, em pessoas com disfunções neurológicas, tais componentes podem estar comprometidos em diferentes níveis desse processo a depender da fisiopatologia envolvida 7 .…”

Impacto de un programa de equitación adaptada en la actividad física y en el sueño de un grupo de niños con enfermedades raras (Impact of an adaptive riding program on the physical activity and sleep in a group of children diagnosed with rare diseases)

“…Por ello, en los últimos años, se han llevado a cabo interesantes revisiones sistemáticas con el fin de sintetizar los avances que se están produciendo en estas intervenciones desde el punto de vista de los resultados psicológicos y sociales (Boss, Branson, Hagan, & Krause-Parello, 2019;Kendall et al, 2015), neurológicos y neuromotores en variables tales como el equilibrio, la función motora, la postura, la marcha, la simetría muscular, la espasticidad, el movimiento pélvico y otras (Domínguez-Romero, Molina-Aroca, Moral-Munoz, Luque-Moreno, & Lucena-Anton, 2020;Muñoz et al, 2015;Stergiou et al, 2017), e incluso hormonales (Yorke et al, 2013). En estos trabajos se señalan resultados alentadores, aunque las conclusiones no pueden ser consideradas como definitivas, ya que son necesarios estudios más rigurosos de corte experimental con muestras más amplias.…”