Type 1 lissencephaly is a genetic disorder of chromosomal abnormality. This case report glimpses at the physiotherapy rehabilitation for a two-year-old male brought by his parents with complaints of being unable to move his upper and lower limbs, delayed milestones as compared to his peer group, and difficulty in swallowing. Physiotherapy rehabilitation included Rood\'s approach to neurodevelopmental techniques, hippotherapy, vestibular ball rehabilitation exercises, oral sensorimotor stimulation, and tactile stimulation. The protocol lasted for 12 weeks. At the end of the rehabilitation, there was a significant improvement in the tone of the muscles and delayed developmental milestones. Through this case report, we conclude about the importance of genetic counseling to the parents of genetic disorders babies. We ought to improve awareness about the pivotal role of physiotherapy in managing such disorders. We conclude that physiotherapy significantly improved the symptoms and improved the quality of life of patients with type 1 lissencephaly.

This case report presents the physiotherapy intervention of a one-year-old male child diagnosed with non-communicating hydrocephalus primary to developmental delay. Hydrocephalus is marked by an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid and often leads to significant developmental delays and neurological impairments in affected infants. The physiotherapy intervention aimed to achieve head and trunk control, improve sensory awareness, and enhance overall body coordination and balance. Various techniques, including neurodevelopmental techniques, sensory stimulation, hippotherapy, and sensory integration therapy, were utilized to target specific developmental milestones and functional abilities. Outcome measures, including the Gross Motor Function Measure, Infant Neurological International Battery, Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination, and New Ballard Score, were used to assess the patient\'s progress pre- and post-intervention. Significant improvements were observed across all outcome measures following four months of physiotherapy rehabilitation. The patient demonstrated substantial gains in gross motor function, neurological examination scores, and overall developmental milestones. These findings underscore the effectiveness of physiotherapy rehabilitation in addressing developmental delays associated with non-communicating hydrocephalus. This case underscores the significance of early physiotherapy intervention, which plays a vital role in enhancing outcomes and improving the quality of life for affected children.

The Gross Motor Function Measure is used in most studies measuring gross motor function in children with cerebral palsy. In many studies, including those evaluating the effect of hyperbaric treatment, the Gross Motor Function Measure variations were potentially misinterpreted because of the lack of control groups. The Gross Motor Function Measure Evolution Ratio (GMFMER) uses historical data from the Gross Motor Function Classification System curves and allows to re-analyze previous published studies which used the Gross Motor Function Measure by considering the natural expected evolution of the Gross Motor Function Measure. As the GMFMER is defined by the ratio between the recorded Gross Motor Function Measure score increase and the expected increase attributed to natural evolution during the duration of the study (natural evolution yields a GMFMER of 1), it becomes easy to assess and compare the efficacy of different treatments.
UNASSIGNED: The objective of this study is to revisit studies done with different dosage of hyperbaric treatment and to compare the GMFMER measured in these studies with those assessing the effects of various recommended treatments in children with cerebral palsy.
UNASSIGNED: PubMed Searches were conducted to included studies that used the Gross Motor Function Measure to evaluate the effect of physical therapy, selective dorsal rhizotomy, botulinum toxin injection, hippotherapy, stem cell, or hyperbaric treatment. The GMFMER were computed for each group of the included studies.
UNASSIGNED: Forty-four studies were included, counting 4 studies evaluating the effects of various dosage of hyperbaric treatment in children with cerebral palsy. Since some studies had several arms, the GMFMER has been computed for 69 groups. The average GMFMER for the groups receiving less than 2 h/week of physical therapy was 2.5 ± 1.8 whereas in context of very intensive physical therapy it increased to 10.3 ± 6.1. The GMFMER of stem cell, selective dorsal rhizotomy, hippotherapy, and botulinum toxin treatment was, 6.0 ± 5.9, 6.5 ± 2.0, 13.3 ± 0.6, and 5.0 ± 2.9, respectively. The GMFMER of the groups of children receiving hyperbaric treatment were 28.1 ± 13.0 for hyperbaric oxygen therapy and 29.8 ± 6.8 for hyperbaric air.
UNASSIGNED: The analysis of the included studies with the GMFMER showed that hyperbaric treatment can result in progress of gross motor function more than other recognized treatments in children with cerebral palsy.

Hippotherapy has been used for decades and its benefits to human patients have largely been proven, whether being applied to those with physical or mental disabilities. There have been a plethora of animal welfare studies recently, pertaining especially to ridden horses. This study aimed to investigate stress markers in horses during hippotherapy sessions to address the ethical considerations raised by using horses for therapy. A ridden stress ethogram was established and validated specifically for this study via subjective observation and video recording of a ridden session involving intermediate-level riders. The experiment entailed eight healthy horses undergoing two ridden sessions on separate days, one with disabled riders and one with beginners. Several parameters associated with physiological responses to stress were evaluated at rest, such as heart rate, plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone [ACTH], serum and salivary cortisol. These parameters as well as the behavioural stress score from the ethogram scale were measured during both sessions. No significant differences were found between heart rate, plasma ACTH, and stress scores. Serum and salivary cortisol were significantly lower during the hippotherapy session than during the session with beginners. The current study found no evidence of compromised welfare when horses were used as a therapeutic aid during hippotherapy sessions compared to their usual ridden activity. Although these results indicate that hippotherapy may be ethically justified as it benefits humans without causing harm to the horses, the present study was small, and the results should be interpreted with caution.

Repeated stresses applied to the rider may contribute to the documented physical and psychosocial outcomes from equine-assisted services. In this brief review, a summary of neuroendocrine markers of stress, including immunoglobulin A, serotonin, cortisol, progesterone, and oxytocin, is presented within the context of the physiology of stress modulation. Results are mixed with regard to the effects of these hormones on rider physiology before, during, and after equine-assisted services. However, some results from existing studies are promising with regard to the attenuation of stress. Future research should include a cross-disciplinary approach when conducting well-controlled studies with proper treatment and experimental fidelity, while also considering exogenous and endogenous factors that influence rider physiology.

BACKGROUND: Despite accumulating data regarding the beneficial effects of hippotherapy on gait and balance skills in children with cerebral palsy (CP), its effects on caregivers\' quality of life (QOL) are limited, presumably due to a lack of reliable and valid measurement tools. This study aims to evaluate the impact of hippotherapy on the health-related QOL of primary caregivers using the Japanese version of the Cerebral Palsy Quality of Life for Children (CP QOL) questionnaire.
METHODS: A quasi-experimental design embedded within our existing cohort was utilized. A total of 29 children with CP (range 4-12 years) and their caregivers participated in either a weekly hippotherapy or recreation (usual care) program for 1 year. In addition to gait-related measurements (Gross Motor Function Measure [GMFM]-E) of children, CP QOL-evidenced determinants of the caregivers\' health-related QOL and well-being were compared before and after the intervention.
RESULTS: In addition to improvements in children\'s GMFM-E scores, hippotherapy improved CP QOL domains related to participation and physical health, children\'s emotional well-being, and parents\' overall health (p < 0.05). Linear regression analysis showed a positive relationship between the children\'s GMFM-E scores and their caregivers\' health domains in participants who received hippotherapy (r2 = 0.404; p = 0.011).
CONCLUSIONS: Hippotherapy has a beneficial effect on the physical and mental well-being and satisfaction of Japanese parents caring for children with CP.

Cerebral palsy (CP) refers to a group of non-progressive brain disorders. Several different approaches are used to treat cerebral palsy children like neurodevelopmental therapy (NDT), sensory integration therapy (SIT), and hippotherapy. Sensory integration therapy is a clinically based approach that places an emphasis on the relationship between the therapist and the child and uses play-based sensory and motor activities to encourage analysis and integration. SIT seems to offer a lot of therapeutic prospects. It uses various interventions. According to sensory integration therapists, some impacts of SIT include an improved ability to concentrate in academic, therapeutic, and social settings. Sensory integration treatment is successful in enhancing gait, balance, and gross motor function.

UNASSIGNED: The abdominal muscles are extremely important in stabilizing the trunk and maximizing postural stability. The presence of apparent stiffness in children with spastic diplegia is associated with unsteadiness, impaired walking, and pelvic malrotation. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of hippotherapy and whole-body vibration in ameliorating abdominal muscle thickness and sitting function in children with diplegia.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 60 children with spastic diplegia were selected from the Faculty of Physical Therapy\'s outpatient clinic, Cairo University, and randomly allocated into two groups. Group A received conventional physical therapy for 1 h in addition to whole-body vibration, whereas group B received hippotherapy for 40 min. The same designed physical therapy program was administered for 12 weeks, three times per week, in both groups. Ultrasonography was used to measure abdominal thickness, and Gross Motor Function Measurement-88 was used to measure functional ability.
UNASSIGNED: A significant improvement in abdominal muscle thickness and sitting function (p < 0.05) was observed in both groups, and greater improvements were observed in group B.
UNASSIGNED: Whole-body vibration and hippotherapy training may be recommended to facilitate sitting function and ameliorate abdominal thickness in children with diplegia. Hippotherapy is more effective than whole-body vibration in improving sitting function and abdominal muscle thickness.
UNASSIGNED: عضلات البطن مهمة للغاية لتحقيق الاستقرار في الجذع وزيادة وضعية الثبات. ارتبط وجود تصلب واضح عند الأطفال المصابين بالشلل النصفي التشنجي بعدم الثبات وضعف المشي وسوء دوران الحوض. كان الهدف من الدراسة هو المقارنة بين فعالية العلاج بركوب الخيل واهتزاز الجسم بالكامل على سماكة عضلات البطن ووظيفة الجلوس عند الأطفال المصابين بشلل مزدوج.
UNASSIGNED: تم اختيار ستين طفلا مصابا بالشلل النصفي التشنجي من العيادة الخارجية بكلية العلاج الطبيعي بجامعة القاهرة وتم تقسيمهم عشوائيا إلى مجموعتين (أ ، ب). نفذت المجموعة (أ) برنامج العلاج الطبيعي التقليدي لمدة ساعة واحدة بالإضافة إلى اهتزاز الجسم بالكامل بينما أجرت المجموعة (ب) العلاج بركوب الخيول لمدة 40 دقيقة مع نفس برنامج العلاج الطبيعي المصمم لمدة 12 أسبوعا، 3 مرات كل أسبوع لكلا المجموعتين. تم استخدام الموجات فوق الصوتية لقياس سمك البطن وقياس الوظيفة الحركية الإجمالية -88 لقياس القدرة الوظيفية.
UNASSIGNED: أظهرت النتائج أن هناك تحسنا ملحوظا في سمك عضلات البطن ووظيفة الجلوس في كلا المجموعتين، مع تحسن أكبر لصالح المجموعة (ب).
UNASSIGNED: قد يقترح تدريب اهتزاز الجسم بالكامل والعلاج بركوب الخيول ليكون تطبيقا جيدا لتسهيل وظيفة الجلوس وتغيير سماكة البطن عند الأطفال المصابين بشلل نصفي. كان العلاج بركوب الخيل أكثر فعالية من اهتزاز الجسم بالكامل في تحسين وظيفة الجلوس وسماكة عضلات البطن.

BACKGROUND: Stroke is a high burden illness and the second leading cause of worldwide disability with generally poor recovery rates. Robust benefits of hippotherapy, a novel neurorehabilitation approach, in functional recovery following various severe neurological disabling conditions has been shown. In the present study, we will analyze the effect of a hippotherapy program on the outcome of post-stroke patients in the first year post-stroke.
METHODS: A randomized controlled clinical trial on the effectiveness of hippotherapy (4 weeks/18 weeks hippotherapy/conventional neurorehabilitation) versus conventional neurorehabilitation alone (22 weeks) will be conducted over 48 weeks. In the treated group, one-hour daily hippotherapy sessions will be exclusively conducted during the hippotherapy\'s cycles, alternated with periods of conventional neurorehabilitation. A test battery will measure both the functional and psychological outcomes. The primary endpoint will be the patient\'s functional independence. The secondary endpoints will measure the sensorimotor function, autonomy, and quality of life, as well as the caregivers\' quality of life.
CONCLUSIONS: Individual brain connectome, life history and personality construct influence the brain\'s functional connectivity and are central to developing optimal tailored neurorehabilitation strategies. According to our current practice, hippotherapy allows the enhancement of substantial neuroplastic changes in the injured brain with significant neurological recovery. The protocol aims to confirm those issues. Trial registration in ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04759326 accessed on 19 February 2021.

The purpose of this study was to identify appropriate outcome measures and assess preliminary efficacy of occupational therapy in an equine environment (OTee HORSPLAY) for youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Twenty-four youth with ASD aged 6-13 were randomized to 10 weeks of OTee HORSPLAY or to a waitlist control condition, occupational therapy in a garden. Youth demonstrated significantly improved goal attainment and social motivation, and decreased irritability after OTee HORSPLAY. When compared to the subset of participants who completed the waitlist control condition, the OTee HORSPLAY group still demonstrated significant improvements in goal attainment. This study provides preliminary evidence that horses can be integrated into occupational therapy for youth with ASD to improve social and behavioral goals.