by Alex Crocker
Would you rather ride in a wheelchair or ride a horse? Speak with a voice synthesizer, or make music? For many children with cerebral palsy, alternative therapies such as therapeutic riding and music therapy are providing alternatives to traditional medicine. Because cerebral palsy is caused by brain damage to the motor cortex before or shortly after birth, therapies that begin early in life can take advantage of the plasticity of the young brain to remap damaged areas and restore full mobility.
In Exeter, UK, Erzsebet Gordon teaches a therapeutic music class in which young cerebral palsy patients “use rhythm to strengthen their muscles.” Research shows that targeted exercises can enhance connections between neurons in the brain, which can lead to improved muscular control (Holloway, 2003). Patients undergoing music therapy are encouraged to complete the exercises needed for remapping in ways that are safer and more enjoyable than traditional therapies like drugs and surgery.
Similarly, therapeutic riding helps cerebral palsy patients regain sensory and motor skills, especially those used for walking. In a study published in the Pediatric Physical Therapy Journal, in which the mobility of 10 children with cerebral palsy was determined before and after 10 weeks of treatment, it was determined that therapeutic riding “has a positive effect on functional movement in children with cerebral palsy.”
According to Pia Tillberg, this improvement can be explained by the rhythmic motions of the horse at the walk and trot, which correspond to the “repeated movement [of the] human walking motion.” By stimulating the motor areas that control the muscles used for walking, therapeutic riding encourages neuron growth, in a sense “teaching” the brain—and thus the body—how to walk. Repetitive-movement based treatments like music therapy and therapeutic riding can help many patients build the strength and control that their muscles need for normal functioning.
While there is no “cure” for cerebral palsy, alternative therapies like music and therapeutic riding are providing hope for patients with cerebral palsy and other brain injuries.
Reference
Holloway, M. (2003). The Mutable Brain. Scientific American, 289 (3), 78-86.
This article reminded me of an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition I had seen over winter break, which centered on a family from Maryland who owned a ranch dedicated to therapeutic riding. As they stated during their interview, the owners of Freedom Hills believe that riding is important for rehabilitation, as it aids in the strengthening of the pelvic and spinal muscles. According to the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, people with other conditions such as Down syndrome, Muscular Dystrophy, and Autism have also been shown to benefit from therapeutic riding, in addition to those who suffer from cerebral palsy (www.narha.org).
The rhythmic benefits that have been described in this post are reflective of hippotherapy, a treatment that focuses on the rhythmic movement of the rider’s muscles. These movements engage several muscles at one time, a process that, according to Carolyn M. Gatty, Assistant Professor in the Master of Occupational Therapy Program at Chatham College, cannot be replicated by traditional exercise equipment. Another type of therapeutic riding in practice today is recreational therapy. Participants of recreational therapy hope to improve upon debilitating conditions by taking themselves out of their usual element- a wheelchair, for instance- and putting themselves in a new place, such as on the back of a horse http://equisearch.com/horses_riding_training/sports/therapeutic/eqadams1663/.
Comment by Pysch 105 student — February 11, 2008 @ 11:50 pm
I think this is an especially interesting post because I actually volunteered at a therapeutic riding center for a while. Not only did the rhythm of the horse help with circulation and use of core muscles of the rider http://lothlorientrc.org/, but also it was obvious that the people enjoyed riding. The same horse was paired with the same rider week after week in order to allow a bond to form. It was a sense of comfort for the student to always ride “their” horse.
At the same time they were improving their motor skills, they worked on their mental capacity as well. The instructor would often place objects around the arena. In order for the student to pick it up and deliver it back to the instructor, he or she might have to direct the horse around a barrel or through a short obstacle course. It really was an amazing experience to watch the students improve over the course of six or eight weeks and to be so excited to come back and ride the horses again.
Comment by 105 student — February 17, 2008 @ 9:41 pm
A horse is a horse, of course, of course. This is simply the reason they are such good animals to assist in therapy for those with physical as well as psychological ailments. As the above post and comments state, riding a horse helps strengthen motor cortex areas for those who cannot walk.
On a different note, horses are used in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP). This involves interacting with horses (riding, grooming, etc.). Horses are good animals because their reflective behaviors help patients improve self-esteem, confidence, trust, boundaries, group skills, communication skills, and more.
EAP involves a therapist working in collaboration with a horse professional. During a session, the therapist will help the patient by asking them questions to try to get them to understand the meaning of the horse’s reflective behaviors. This type of therapy is particularly effective for children who have experience intra-family violence (interparental violence and child abuse) and later on are prone to behavioral problems that get them into trouble. In their 2007 study, Schultz, Remick-Barlow, and Robbins noted that all subjects (chosen through self-selection not random sampling) treated improved in Global Assessment Functioning (GAF). One drawback to this therapy is its lack of long-term effectiveness.
My aunt, a psychologist, joined forces with her daughter, a horseback riding professor, to start Paddock View Residential Center, an EAGALA certified establishment where abused kids with behavior problems can go instead of juvenile prison. Here they do EAP.
For one of the EAP activities, a group of kids has to get a horse across a jump without verbally or physically coercing it. They are not even allowed to talk to each other. This is difficult: as my cousin says, “horses do not want to jump if they don’t have to.” So the kids have to work together to solve the problem. My cousin says that two creative solutions involve moving the jump or lowering the rail.
Pamela N. Schultz PhD RN, G. Ann Remick-Barlow MSW LISW, Leslie Robbins DSN CNS CNP (2007) “Equine assisted psychotherapy: a mental health promotion/intervention modality for children who have experienced intra-family violence” Health and Social Care in the Community 15 (3) , 265-271 doi:10.1111/j.1365-2524.2006.00684.x
Comment by Molly Arnn — March 13, 2008 @ 10:03 pm
Other pets have been found to show similar benefits for coping with disorders. This article summarizes a study that shows how the presence of dogs can help decrease aggression and increase socialization of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. These patients often lose the companionship of other humans because families become tired of unprecedented aggression and repeated stories and complaints, and nursing home staff can only spend a limited number of hours with each patient. Therefore, therapy dogs have been used to provide the needed companionship that these patients have lost. They don’t care about the state of the patients’ mental deterioration and don’t mind hearing stories repeated. Results showed that patients became significantly less aggressive, less stressed, and more social in the presence of a dog. Perhaps this method of providing friendship can help further explain the benefit of relationships between animals and patients with certain brain disorders.
Reference
Churchill, M., Safaoui, J., McCabe, B. and Baun, M. (1999). Using Dog Therapy to Alleviate the Agitation and Desocialization of People with Alzheimer’s Disease. Journal of Psychological Nursing and Mental Health Services, 37 (4), 16-22.
Comment by Dennis D'Urso — May 4, 2008 @ 3:21 pm
It is always inspiring to see what a difference these therapeutic interventions can make in the lives of children.
Comment by Tina Allen — May 23, 2008 @ 1:37 pm