Effect of Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies on Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Abstract Objectives: To determine the effects of an equine-assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) program on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Design: An evaluator-blinded, parallel, two-arm, randomized controlled clinical trial with 1:1 randomization. Settings/Location: A tertiary university hospital and a local arena. Subjects: Forty-six children with CP (24 boys and 22 girls) classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I, II, or III were included. Interventions: The EAAT program was conducted for 40 min twice a week for 16 weeks (32 lessons). Outcome measures: Clinical global impression scales, motor capacity, cardiopulmonary fitness, and habitual physical activity was measured on both groups before and after the 16-week period. Results: Changes in the Clinical Global Impression-Severity scale and Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale scores were not different between the groups after the intervention. Analysis of covariance revealed statistically significant differences in Gross Motor Function Measure 66 (GMFM 66) (p < 0.05) and Pediatric Balance Scale (p < 0.001) in motor capacity and resting heart rate (HRrest) (p < 0.001) in CRF, between the EAAT group and the control group. Subgroup analysis using multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the GMFM 66 changes had a statistically significant effect on the HRrest changes in the EAAT group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The present study showed decreased HRrest in children with CP after completing the 16-week EAAT program. This improvement was explained by the improvement of GMFM 66 in the EAAT group. Thus, EAAT may be among the endurance training programs that could be offered to children with CP to improve their CRF. Clinical Trial Registration number: NCT03870893.

Effect of Equine-Assisted Activities on Cardiac Autonomic Function in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Pilot Randomized-Controlled Trial.

Objective: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have an impaired cardiac autonomic function. Attenuated heart rate recovery (HRR), which is a valuable prognostic parameter for autonomic nervous system, is known to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. However, only few studies have observed the effects of exercise on the cardiac autonomic function in children with CP. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the effects of equine-assisted activity (EAA) program on cardiac autonomic function in children with CP. Design: A single-blinded, parallel, two-arm pilot trial with 1:1 randomization to the EAA or control group. Setting: A tertiary university hospital and a local arena. Subjects: Twenty-six children with CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System Levels I-II). Intervention: Each lesson of the EAA program for the EAA group was conducted for 40 min twice a week, and the whole program duration was 16 weeks (a total of 32 sessions). Outcome measures: A graded exercise test was performed to measure the resting heart rate (RHR), HRR, and peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) on both groups before and after the 16-week period. Results: The autonomic nervous function measured by the response of HRR improved at 1 min (p < 0.009), 3 min (p < 0.001), and 5 min (p < 0.004) only in the EAA group. RHR significantly improved in the EAA group (p < 0.013), whereas the VO2peak did not significantly differ between the two groups. Conclusion: The HRR and RHR of the children with CP improved after completing the 16-week EAA program. The results demonstrated that the program had a positive effect on the improvement of cardiac autonomic function in these patients. Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT03870893.