Arthogryposis

  • Gait and gross motor improvements in a two-year-old child with arthrogryposis after hippotherapy intervention using a Norwegian Fjord

    Brady, H. A., James, C. R., Dendy, D. W., Irwin, T. A., Swiacki, C. A., Thompson, L. D., Camp, T. M., Yang, H.S., & Cooper, K. J. (2018).
    Journal of Equine Vet. Science 

    Description
    A 2-year-old child with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC) was prescribed occupational therapy using hippotherapy intervention. Multiple joint contractures present at birth affecting joint function are characteristics of AMC. Twenty-five 30-min hippotherapy sessions were conducted. The Battelle Developmental Inventory Second Edition (BDI-2) was used to measure the subject's motor skills, and a computerized motion capture system was used to measure gait parameters. Data were collected prestudy (before intervention), midstudy (after 14 sessions), and poststudy (after 25 sessions).

    Results 
    The BDI-2 scores showed gross motor improvements at each time point with the percent delays decreasing from 57% prestudy, 32% midstudy, to 6% poststudy after 25 sessions of hippotherapy. Similarly, gross motor percentile rank (PR) (among all children) improved in a linear fashion at the same time points from <1% (initial), 9% (midstudy), and 50% (poststudy). Fine motor skills did not improve with treatment. Gait analysis (poststudy vs. prestudy) showed increased gait speed (121%), increased right (108%) and left (86%) step lengths, decreased step width (−50%), and improved gait symmetry. In a follow-up BDI-2 administered 6 months after the hippotherapy was finished, improvements continued in gross motor skills (0% delay and PR 84%).

    Conclusion
    Gross motor improvements, no changes in fine motor. This case report that showed early intervention with hippotherapy was beneficial for this subject with AMC and warrants further studies. 

  • Occupational Therapist 

  • USA

  • HPOT

  • Case Series 

  • 1 child 

  • 2 years 

  • BDI- II

  • EI, Gross Motor

  • 25 sessions

  • Brady, H., James, C. R., Dendy, D. W., Irwin, T. A., Swiacki, C. A., Thompson, L. D., Camp, T. M., Yang, H.S., & Cooper, K. J. (2018). Gait and gross motor improvements in a two-year-old child with arthrogryposis after hippotherapy intervention using a Norwegian Fjord. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 67, 15-18.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2018.02.003