Efficacy of Hippotherapy Simulator Exercise Program in Stroke Patients

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The aim of our study is to investigate the effects of hippotherapy simulator exercises in addition to the conventional rehabilitation program on the balance, postural control, mobility, functional capacity, and independence levels of stroke patients.

Detailed Description
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Twenty-six 18- 65 years of patients with stroke were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups as hippotherapy simulator group (HSG) (n = 13) and conventional exercise group (CEG) (n = 13). Patients were evaluated with Berg Balance Scale (BBS) for balance, Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke (PASS) for postural control, Rivermead Mobility Index (RMI), and Time Up- Go Test (TUG) for mobility, 2min. Walking Test (2mWT) for functional capacity and Barthel Index (BI) for the level of independence respectively before and after treatment.

Official Title
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Efficacy of Hippotherapy Simulator Exercise Program in Stroke Patients

Conditions
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Stroke

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Hippotherapy Simulator
* Other: Conventional Exercise


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Getting a diagnosis of stroke by a specialist physician, Being between the ages of 18-65, Having a stroke history of 3- 36 months, To be able to sit without support while both soles are in contact with the floor, To be able to walk independently with or without using a walking aid, To be able to understand and follow audio and visual warnings, Scoring 24 points or more from the Mini-Mental State Exam. Exclusion Criteria: Multiple stroke stories, Hemorrhagic type stroke history, Those with a history of falling in the past 1 year, Those with a history of epilepsy, Uncontrolled history of Hypertension and Diabetes

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 65 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: One group received hippotherapy exercise, while the other group received conventional exercise.
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Hippotherapy Simulator Group<br>Getting a diagnosis of stroke by a specialist physician, Being between the ages of 18-65, Having a stroke history of 3- 36 months, To be able to sit without support while both soles are in contact with the floor, To be able to walk independently with or without using walking aid, To be able to understand and follow audio and visual warnings, Scoring 24 points or more from the Mini Mental State Exam. | Other: Hippotherapy Simulator<br>* Patients in the hippotherapy simulator group received 30 sessions of treatment for 6 weeks, 5 days a week and 1 hour a day. 45 minutes of Neurodevelopmental treatment exercises and 15 minutes of hippotherapy simulation exercise program were applied to the participants in this group.<br>|
| Experimental: Conventional Exercise Group<br>Getting a diagnosis of stroke by a specialist physician, Being between the ages of 18-65, Having a stroke history of 3- 36 months, To be able to sit without support while both soles are in contact with the floor, To be able to walk independently with or without using walking aid, To be able to understand and follow audio and visual warnings, Scoring 24 points or more from the Mini Mental State Exam. | Other: Conventional Exercise<br>* Patients in the conventionnal exercise group received 30 sessions of treatment for 6 weeks, 5 days a week and 1 hour a day. 60 minutes of Neurodevelopmental treatment exercises were applied to the participants in this group.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Berg Balance Scale | The Berg balance scale is used to objectively determine a patient's ability (or inability) to safely balance during a series of predetermined tasks. It is a 14 item list with each item consisting of a five-point ordinal scale ranging from 0 to 4, with 0 indicating the lowest level of function and 4 the highest level of function and takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. | Day 0 - Day 45 | 
| Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke | It measures the ability of an individual with stroke to maintain stable postures and equilibrium during positional changes. It consists of a 4-point scale where the items are scored from 0 to 3, and the total scoring ranges from 0 to 36 | Day 0 - Day 45 | 
| Rivermead Mobility Index | The Rivermead Mobility Index assesses functional mobility in gait, balance and transfers after stroke. | Day 0 - Day 45 | 
| Timed Up and Go Test | The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test is a performance-based measure of functional mobility that was initially developed to identify mobility and balance impairments in older adults. | Day 0 - Day 45 | 
| 2 Minute Walk Test | 2 Minute Walk Test (2MWT) is a measure of self-paced walking ability and functional capacity. | Day 0 - Day 45 | 
| Barthel Index | The Barthel Scale/Index (BI) is an ordinal scale used to measure performance in activities of daily living (ADL). | Day 0 - Day 45 | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Hippotherapy, Cerebrovasculer disorders, Stroke Rehabilitation, Balance, Exercise