Introduction: Hippotherapy allows the development of affective, sensory, motor, and cognitive areas, besides providing the practitioner with several movements and stimuli necessary for therapeutic progress. However, there is a limited amount of scientific evidence regarding the suitability of the mount material, mount type, and hippotherapy session duration, as well as regarding the activation of specific muscle groups during the practice and its applicability to activities of daily living.
Objective: This study aimed to study the neuromuscular activation behavior of the iliocostalis, longissimus, multifidus, and upper trapezius muscles of children during four hippotherapy session time points using a functional task. It also compared two different mount materials for riding.
Methodology: A total of 30 children were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Saddle Hippotherapy Group, Blanket Hippotherapy Group, and Control Group. Data were collected with an electromyograph in a functional task that comprised trunk movements to pick up an object. Assessments took place at four times during the session.
Results: There was a significant increase in the neuromuscular activation of the iliocostalis, longissimus, and multifidus muscles after a 30-min session. The trapezius muscle showed increased neuromuscular activation after only 10 min. It continued to increase (but without a statistical difference) after and 20 and 30 min.
Conclusion: Hippotherapy promoted neuromuscular activation of the trunk muscles in children, assessed through a functional task, and was influenced by both session time and mount material. Specifically, the greater neuromuscular performance occurred when an exercise was performed using saddle and stirrup and lasted 30 min.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2020.02.029 | DOI Listing |
Front Cell Neurosci
January 2025
Laboratory of Human Anatomy, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of the Salento, Lecce, Italy.
Cureus
December 2024
Department of Surgery - Center for Anatomical Science and Education, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, USA.
A significantly diverse clinical presentation of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), even in its best-studied familial form, continues to hinder current efforts to develop effective disease-modifying drugs for the cure of this rapidly progressive, fatal neuromuscular disease. We have previously shown that clinical heterogeneity of sporadic ALS (sALS) could be explained, at least in part, by its polygenic nature as well as by the presence of mutated genes linked to non-ALS neurological diseases and genes known to mediate ALS-related pathologies. We hypothesized that a similar genetic framework could also be present in patients with familial ALS (fALS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Nutr
January 2025
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Department of Public Health and Sport Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.
Introduction: Shatavari is a herbal dietary supplement that may increase skeletal muscle strength in younger and older adults. Shatavari contains compounds with both estradiol-like and antioxidant properties, which could enhance muscle function. Postmenopausal women may derive the greatest benefit, as estrogen deficiency adversely impacts skeletal muscle function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, 3517 Cullen Blvd, SERC Room 2011, Houston, TX, 77204-5060, USA.
Electro-tactile stimulation (ETS) can be a promising aid in augmenting sensation for those with sensory deficits. Although applications of ETS have been explored, the impact of ETS on the underlying strategies of neuromuscular coordination remains largely unexplored. We investigated how ETS, alone or in the presence of mechano-tactile environment change, modulated the electromyogram (EMG) of individual muscles during force control and how the stimulation modulated the attributes of intermuscular coordination, assessed by muscle synergy analysis, in human upper extremities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neurosci Methods
January 2025
Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Isfahan, HezarJerib Ave., Azadi Sq., P.O. Box: 81799-54359, Isfahan, Iran. Electronic address:
Background: This mini-review details the guideline for implementing the most common exercise patterns in small laboratory rodents (mice/rats) and the advantages and disadvantages of each, in ways that are comparable to humans. Also, criteria for targeted selection and control of workload and intensity of activity are proposed in different exercise programs.
New Method: As an available and low-cost intervention in physiological, biochemical and cellular-molecular assessments, different exercise programs can be effective in the prevention/treatment of many skeletal-structural, behavioral and neurodegenerative disorders.
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