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RESPONSE OF FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE TO HIPPOTHERAPY PROGRAM IN PEDIATRIC WITH SPASTIC CEREBRAL PALSY

Tamer Emam Hassan Elnegamy


Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the response of functional performance to Hippotherapy program in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Methods: Twenty six children with spastic cerebral palsy (17 boys and 9 girls) participated in this study. Their age ranged from 5-10 years and their BMI less than 25. The twenty six children were assigned to two groups; (A) and (B) each group consisted of 13 children. Group A received Hippotherapy program (HT) in addition to traditional physical therapy program and group B received same traditional physical therapy program without any additional program. The pediatric evaluation of disability scale (PEDI) was measured before and after the 10-week intervention. Results: There were no significant differences in any baseline characteristics of the two groups before the intervention (p>0.05). While, post treatment comparison indicated significant differences of all parameter measures in favor of the HT group (p<0.05) when compared with the control group. Conclusion: Ten weeks of Hippotherapy program have positive effects on functional performance in children with spastic cerebral palsy.