Physical Therapy for Montana Children With NMD Using Hippotherapy and the Equine Environment

Summary

The goal of this pilot clinical trial is to determine if physical therapy incorporating horses can improve the motor skills of the arms in children 6-17 years old with neuromotor disorders (such as cerebral palsy, spinal muscular atrophy, or spina bifida) compared to standard play-based physical therapy. The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Is the study protocol feasible and acceptable for participants, that investigators could apply them to a larger trial?
2. Do participants make improvements toward their goals for motor function, arm use, and participation in life situations following treatment, and is it different between the experimental and comparative intervention groups?
3. What are the physiological, behavioral, and emotional responses of children receiving physical therapy incorporating horses, versus those receiving standard physical therapy?

Researchers will compare the experimental group who receive physical therapy incorporating horses to the comparative intervention group who receive standard play-based physical therapy to see if there is a difference in outcomes.

Participants will complete a pre- and post-intervention assessment of their motor function and participation in life situations. Participants will receive physical therapy twice a week for 8 weeks for the intervention. In both groups, physiological, behavioral, and emotional responses to the interventions will be measured in 4 total sessions, 1 each at weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8.

Conditions

• Neuromotor Impairments

Interventions

OTHER

Physical Therapy Using Hippotherapy and the Equine Environment

Subjects will be mounted on a horse for 15-30 minutes. Therapeutic activities will include movements like reaching, throwing, and bilateral coordination tasks in addition to assuming various positions on the horse during equine movement, per the tolerance of individual participants. Remaining treatment time will involve participation-based functional motor activities in the equine environment, such as feeding and grooming horses. Treatment will include the following active ingredients: 1. Encourage use of both upper extremities during therapeutic activities. 2. Design therapeutic activities with equines to guide practice of functional motor skills. 3. Design therapeutic activities with the equines to practice participation (ie. activities involved in life situations). 4. Utilize the presence of the equines to optimize patient mood and engagement in the therapeutic activities. (Design activities around patient strengths and preferences; use the equines as positive reinforcement)

OTHER

Standard Play-Based Physical Therapy

The treatment will focus on encouragement of functional play activities, such as reaching, throwing, and catching games. Treatment will incorporate the following active ingredients: 1. Encourage use of both upper extremities during therapeutic activities. 2. Design therapeutic activities using play and games to guide practice of functional motor skills. 3. Design therapeutic activities with play and games to practice participation (ie. activities involved in life situations). 4. Utilize play and games to optimize patient mood and engagement in the therapeutic activities. (Design activities around patient strengths and preferences; use play and games as positive reinforcement)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

  collaborator NIH

• University of Montana

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

6 Years

Max Age

17 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-08-20

Primary Completion

2027-04-30

Completion

2027-04-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations