Zeitschrift für neuartige Physiotherapien

Abstrakt

Combination of Hippotherapy with Technical Bobath Method in Body Extensor Control of a Patient with Tetraplegia due to Cerebral Palsy

Dayane Provin, Alysson Fernando Briel and Marcelo Renato Guerino

The hippotherapy is a therapeutic method based on the practice of horsemanship activities that uses the horse as main kinesiotherapic agent. Already the Neuroevolutive concept of Bobath consecrated there are years, it is used of specific techniques of inhibition, facilitation and neuromuscular stimulation, objectifying to modify standard postural tonus and abnormal movements, facilitating standard motors of more appropriate movements. Therefore, this study has as objective to verify the evolution of an experimental protocol through exercises, associating the hippotherapy treatment to Bobath’s techniques. It was used as study object an individual of the seven year-old masculine sex, with spastic tetraplegic diagnosis due to cerebral paralysis. The apprentice presented thoracic hyperkyfosis, hypertonic flexor reaction associated to the extending hypotonic thoracic reaction of the musculature, time delay in the recovery and rectification side, deficit of lateral balance, without capacity of executing March. The procedures were accomplished in the section of hippotherapy of Unisep, in two neighbors, PR, Brazil. The apprentice accomplished fifteen sessions with maximum duration of 30 minutes on the horse. The activities were structured seeking to stimulate motive coordination, proprioception, vestibular and motor-sensory system, they provided alterations of 20% in the thoracic cifosis, it improves in the time of the lateral reactions of protection in up to 700%, it improves of the muscular force of upper extremities passing of the degree 3 for 4 according to the scale of Oxford and it improves of the muscular tonus of upper extremities of the degree 3 for 1, according to the modified scale of Ashworth