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R. Miura1, M. Kawabe2, A. Kojima2, N. Esashi2, Y. Nakajima3, N. Kato4, T. Tanaka5
1Nonprofit Organization Piskari / Hokkaido University of Science, Urakawa, Japan, 2Nonprofit Organization Piskari, Urakawa, Japan, 3Hokkaido Research Organization, Sapporo, Japan, 4Hokkaido University of Science, Sapporo, Japan, 5Hokkaido University of Science / University of Tokyo, Sapporo, Japan
Background: Although the elderly population increases rapidly, there has been little research into the effects on the physical activity of horse assisted therapy as preventative rehabilitation in elderly people.
Purpose: In this study, the trunk and limb joint movement and muscle activity of elderly people during horse-riding were simultaneously measured and the results were analyzed, in order to reveal the characteristics of dynamic sitting balance ability in elderly people carrying out horse assisted therapy and to propose a horse assisted therapy method for elderly people.
Methods: The subjects were nine elderly people (average age, 88.3±5.9 years) who were independent for activities of daily living. The muscles for muscle activity measurement were the following muscles on the side of dominant hand; carpal flexor muscle, the brachioradialis, the spinal column muscle group, the abdominal oblique muscle group, the rectus femoris, the biceps femoris, the tibialis anterior muscle, and the gastrocnemius. The horse gait was walking for all muscle activity measurements, which were made during the following six horse-riding conditions: straight line, slalom, left curve, right curve, halt with verbal cue, and halt with no verbal cue. Each condition was measured in a single trial.
Muscle activity measurement was carried out using a wireless surface electromyograph. The data were collected at sampling frequency of 1500Hz and converted to percent maximal voluntary contraction (%MVC). For statistical analysis, the mean %MVC of each muscle in each horse-riding condition was compared by testing with a linear mixed model. Video recording was used for qualitative motion analysis. All subjects were given a full explanation of the details of the experiment prior to participating, and all subjects consented to participate.
Muscle activity measurement was carried out using a wireless surface electromyograph. The data were collected at sampling frequency of 1500Hz and converted to percent maximal voluntary contraction (%MVC). For statistical analysis, the mean %MVC of each muscle in each horse-riding condition was compared by testing with a linear mixed model. Video recording was used for qualitative motion analysis. All subjects were given a full explanation of the details of the experiment prior to participating, and all subjects consented to participate.
Results: The electromyograph measurements showed that activity of all muscles was greater during slalom and curve than during straight line and halt. In particular, a significant difference was found with the rectus femoris. In addition, as a tendency among elderly people, activity of all muscles was greater during slalom and curve than during straight line and both types of halt.
Qualitative analysis revealed that the elderly people tended to have a greater sway of the trunk during slalom and left or right curve than during straight line.
Qualitative analysis revealed that the elderly people tended to have a greater sway of the trunk during slalom and left or right curve than during straight line.
Conclusion(s): The result showed that the elderly people were unable to maintain stability of dynamic sitting balance with only the trunk muscle group, and they fixed the foot and sole at the stirrup, extended the knee joint by the rectus femoris, and moved the trunk backward to help secure a stable dynamic balance.
The above results clarify that trunk muscle activity is important for good posture and stable dynamic sitting balance in elderly people during horse-riding, and that arm and leg muscle strength are important to assist trunk muscle strongly.
The above results clarify that trunk muscle activity is important for good posture and stable dynamic sitting balance in elderly people during horse-riding, and that arm and leg muscle strength are important to assist trunk muscle strongly.
Implications: The results suggest that in order to improve and maintain muscle groups, there is a need to examine programs for dynamic sitting balance training in elderly people through horse-riding training conditions that include slalom and curve rather than just straight lines.
Funding, acknowledgements: The authors thank the subjects for their participation.
Keywords: Horse Assisted Therapy, Elderly, Dynamic Sitting Balance
Topic: Health promotion & wellbeing/healthy ageing/physical activity
Did this work require ethics approval? No
Institution: Hokkaido University of Science
Committee: The Ethics Committee of Hokkaido University of Science
Reason: Because, the study is a case report. Also, the sample data of the subjects are small size.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
