Clinical trial NCT05345886: The Benefit of Hippotherapy in Stroke Patients
Official title: The Benefit of Hippotherapy in the Therapeutic Management of Stroke Patients in Sequel Phase
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Phase: NA
Conditions: Stroke
Lead sponsor: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liege
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2022-04-26
Enrollment: 50
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: This study aims to explore the interest of hippotherapy in the management of patients with stroke in the sequelae phase by evaluating the psychological and physical well-being. It is a controlled and randomized prospective longitudinal study.

Hippotherapy is a rehabilitation method entrusted to a paramedical or medical profession that uses the horse in its treatment program in addition to conventional medical care.

Hippotherapy has benefits at the psychomotor and motor level. The method is based on the use of the horse's characteristic movements when walking to provide sensory information and to induce motor adjustment responses mainly at the level of the pelvis and the trunk of the rider in order to work on balance, postural control, muscle tone and joint mobility of the patient sitting on his back. In particular for people with paresis or plegia sequelae, it contributes to rehabilitation programs. In addition, by inducing a helical movement of the pelvis, the horse's walk reproduces in the the disabled rider a pattern of trunk reactions very similar to that of the normal human walking pattern. This pattern can be integrated as a normal sensorimotor reaction and help the patient to improve his sitting balance and his coordination.

Hippotherapy is also interesting because getting out of the traditional rehabilitation framework and being in contact with an imposing animal has positive repercussions on the psyche and therefore on functional recovery.

All patients will undergo an assessment that will focus on their physical and psychological well-being at the beginning and end of the study as well as during a follow-up at 2 weeks, one month and 3 months.

Patients assigned to the experimental group (EG) will receive, in addition to their physical therapy, a weekly hippotherapy session of 30 minutes. The follow-up will take place during 3 months for a total of 12 sessions. The EG will also be monitored in the short term (before and after each session) for well-being and fatigue.

Quality of life will be explored using the SF-36 questionnaire and the SS-QOL scale. Self-esteem will be measured using the Rosenberg scale. Patients' physical abilities will be assessed with functional tests, standing balance measurements on a strength platform and the ABC-S self-evaluation scale.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* patients who have suffered a stroke and who are in a sequelae phase (after hospitalization or discharge from the rehabilitation center)
* patients who have sufficient trunk balance to hold on to the horse
* patients who have the consent of their doctor
* patients who indicated their agreement to participate in the study by signing the consent form

Exclusion Criteria:

* pressure sore at the seat level
* other lesion or neurological history
* severe cognitive deficits affecting the understanding
* do not understand French language
* allergy to horses
* weigh more than 100 kg
* acute pain syndrome
* epilepsy
* patient has benefited from hippotherapy sessions during the last 6 months

Primary outcomes:
measure: The stroke specific quality of life (SS-QOL)
timeFrame: 12 weeks
measure: 36-Item Short Form Survey Instrument (SF-36)
timeFrame: 12 weeks
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Rosenberg self-esteem scale
timeFrame: 12 weeks
measure: Timed up & go
timeFrame: 12 weeks
measure: The Tinetti test
timeFrame: 12 weeks
measure: Timed chair stand test
timeFrame: 12 weeks
measure: Strength platform
timeFrame: 12 weeks
measure: The Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC Scale)
timeFrame: 12 weeks
measure: Well-being and fatigue
timeFrame: 12 weeks
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Tinlot
country: Belgium
facility: CNRF
state: Liège
Study officials:
References: