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Kid Health

'Hip' therapy yields stunning results For many children with special needs, horses can be the best physical therapists. By Susan BelknappPublished: February, 2009

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Physical therapy on a horse? Of course. Hippotherapy has been practiced in the U.S. for more than 30 years and for much longer in Europe. Most physical, occupational and speech therapists familiar with hippotherapy agree that it can offer unique and powerful therapeutic results.     Hippotherapy’s name is derived from “hippos,” the Greek word for “horse.” The principal is based on the fact that a horse’s gait mirrors that of a human; rhythmic motion develops all the muscles used for walking upright.     "Equine movement provides multidimensional movement, which is variable, rhythmic and repetitive,” according to the American Hippotherapy Association (AHA). “The horse provides a dynamic base of support, making it an excellent tool for increasing trunk strength and control, balance and building overall postural strength and endurance.”     Danelle Kern, MPT, agrees. Kern, co-owner of Canyon Ranch Physical Therapy, in Colton, is registered with the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA), achieved only through a stringent testing and evaluation process. She is working on her Ph.D. in physical therapy, and has taught hippotherapy to students worldwide.     Kern, who has been riding from a very young age, is emphatic that anyone practicing hippotherapy must be extremely skilled with horses and must be a trained and licensed physical therapist.     “There needs to be complete communication and trust between the horse and the therapist,” says Kern. “I steer the horse with my legs, so I can have my hands free to do therapy.” In addition to dynamic stretching and strengthening exercises, Kern uses puzzles, flash cards and bead-threading games to nurture dexterity and fine-motor skills.     Though Kern’s business offers all types of physical therapy, she and her co-owner and mother, Penni, have made pediatrics their hippotherapy specialty. “We do treat adults as well, but we have decided to focus on children because so many are suffering from afflictions such as cerebral palsy, near drownings, paralysis, scoliosis and oxygen deprivation at birth, to name a few, and the results are so amazing.”     The therapy can yield dramatic results in a comparatively short amount of time. It did with Hannah Mayfield.     “Hannah’s full-term, pregnancy went without a hitch, but then she got stuck in the birth canal,” says Chad Mayfield, Hannah’s dad. “When she was finally delivered, she was clinically dead, but the respiratory therapists brought her back. However, they thought she would be blind and deaf – essentially a vegetable.”     Hannah didn’t agree, and neither did her parents. They’ve all worked together to bring her to where she is today – a bright, happy 6-year-old who is walking and talking with little difficulty.     “It’s amazing the progress we’ve seen since she started hippotherapy,” says Mayfield. “In just four to six months we saw significant improvements in her core strength and her ability to walk with her feet straight; one side used to drag very badly and that’s all been balanced out. Before, she didn’t have the abdominal strength to sit up in bed by herself. She certainly does now.”     Sharon Luko, mother of Landon, agrees. Landon, who turns 6 in February, was the only survivor of premature triplets. Born at 23 weeks, and despite 13 surgeries, he is almost completely blind and has an “undertone” of cerebral palsy.     They’ve been doing hippotherapy for seven months, and, according to Sharon, Landon has significantly improved his strength, stability and fine motor skills. He is an exuberant student who loves to sing, knows the traditional and Braille alphabet and is taking piano lessons.     “It’s done wonders for his confidence,” says mom Sharon. “He loves it.” Hippotherapy’s Benefits: > The strengthening of postural muscles, improving full-body alignment and trunk stabilization > The stimulation of muscles and nerves, which builds muscle tone > The enhancement of equilibrium and balance > New neural networks formed to the motor cortex of the brain > Decreased pain and muscle spasms, often resulting in the elimination of many medicines Source: Canyon Ranch Physical Therapy Susan Belknapp is associate editor for OC Family magazine.

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