Abstract
Cerebral palsy is described as a group of permanent neuromotor-type disorders caused by non-progressive injuries in the developmental stages of the central nervous system, and which have serious repercussions on the quality of life of affected children due to the physical and psychological damage it entails for them. Today, it is the leading cause of physical disability in childhood. Since there is no cure for this disorder, treatment is based on the improvement of symptoms, which is not always achieved through conventional therapies. For this reason, the need arises to investigate other alternative therapies, such as hippotherapy, to determine the main effects of hippotherapy as a rehabilitation therapy in children with cerebral palsy. The review was performed in accordance with the criteria of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol and was registered under the number CRD42021233003. The databases used were PubMed, Dialnet and the web browser Google Scholar. After applying the inclusion criteria, we included 11 articles. As a conclusion, we found that hippotherapy provides benefits at physical, psychological, cognitive and social levels in children with cerebral palsy, and thus it should be considered as a complementary rehabilitation therapy to conventional treatments.
Highlights
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of permanent neuromotor-type disorders that are caused by nonprogressive disturbances during the prenatal, perinatal or postnatal (2–3 years) stages of development of the central nervous system [1,2]
The search strategy followed attempted to respond to the question formulated in the objectives: What are the main benefits of hippotherapy as a rehabilitation technique in children with CP? The PICO system was used as a guide (Population—therapies in children with CP; Intervention—hippotherapy; Comparison—there is no comparison group in this study; Outcomes—positive effects)
The main objective of this literature review was to determine the main effects of hippotherapy as a rehabilitation therapy in children with CP
Summary
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of permanent neuromotor-type disorders that are caused by nonprogressive disturbances during the prenatal, perinatal or postnatal (2–3 years) stages of development of the central nervous system [1,2]. Children affected by this syndrome present with postural and motor disability that entails limitations in their functional abilities and physical activity, leading to impaired physical, psychological and social development [3,4]. The diagnosis of CP is usually reached after the neonatal period when the first distinctive signs of the disorder are detected, earlier on, certain neurological signs may arouse suspicion [2]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
