Equine Exercise in Younger and Older Adults: Simulated Versus Real Horseback Riding.

Horseback riding is an effective exercise for improving postural control and balance. To reduce costs and improve accessibility, simulated horseback riding has been developed; but no differential effects of simulated and real horseback riding on muscle activation patterns in older adults have been studied. Thus, we compared muscle activation patterns for older and younger adults engaged in real and simulated horseback riding exercises, using surface electromyography recordings of the erector spinae, rectus abdominis, internal oblique abdominis, and rectus femoris muscles. We recorded muscle activity for three riding patterns: walk, slow trot, and fast trot. Muscle activation was uniformly higher for simulated (vs. real) horseback riding and increased from the walking pattern through slow and fast trot. There was no age effect, but among older participants, muscle activation was higher for simulated (vs. real) horseback riding across all gait types. Simulated and real riding produced a similar pattern of muscle activation of the thigh and trunk. These results demonstrate that simulated horseback riding can be an effective alternative to actual riding for increasing trunk and thigh muscle activation and improving postural control and balance, perhaps especially among older adults.

Manipulative rehabilitation applied soon after lumbar disc surgery improves late post-operative functional disability: A preliminary 2-year follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown late post-operative physical disability and residual pain in patients following lumbar disc surgery despite growing evidence of its beneficial effects. Therefore, rehabilitation is required to minimise the late post-operative complications. OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility of manipulative rehabilitation to improve late post-operative outcomes. METHODS: Twenty-one patients aged 25-65 years undergoing lumbar microdiscectomy were randomly assigned to the rehabilitation group (n= 14) or active control group (n= 7) by simple randomisation. Eight rehabilitation sessions were initiated 2-3 weeks after surgery. Thirty-minute sessions were conducted twice weekly for four weeks. Post-operative physical disability and pain were assessed at baseline and at the two-year follow-up. RESULTS: Post-operative physical disability improved more in patients who had undergone rehabilitation than in those who had received control care (63% vs. -23%, P< 0.05). Post-operative residual low back and leg pain were alleviated in the treatment group (26% and 57%, respectively), but intensified in the control group (-5% and -8%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the potential of manipulative rehabilitation and importance of post-operative management after lumbar disc surgery. Definitive trials with larger sample sizes are required to confirm the feasibility and potential therapeutic effectiveness of this approach.