July 7, 2008
Equine Physical Therapy
Gone are the days when you had to simply rely on pills and injections to see you through your injury and pain. Today, there are different novel and sometimes equally effective forms of treatment that can be used to cure sickness and resort health and vitality. Equine physical therapy is one such approach.
What is equine physical therapy?
Equine physical therapy is a much sought after therapy program wherein the patients suffering from wide variety of ailments are able to recover with the help of horses and therapists. This therapy is prominently sought by athletes and sportsman from all areas of sports. This therapy is very effective in treating injuries related to joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments.
How equine physical therapy works?
Equine assisted physical therapy works not only for physical problems, but it is also very effective in treating behavioral, cognitive and emotional problems as well. In this therapy, the therapist designs a wide range of therapy plans and programs, which include activities like horseback riding, driving, vaulting and other recreational activities. Besides, this, there are different forms of equine assisted physical therapy forms. These include psychotherapy, where the therapist uses a horse to bring the emotional conflict of the patients in the open in an effective way. Another popular form of equine therapy also includes the hippotherapy, where, the therapist uses a horse mainly for helping patients recover from injury related trauma.
Equine physical therapy is also very helpful for those suffering from autism, learning disabilities; metal retardation etc. horse riding in equine therapy provides innumerable advantages. It promotes physical health and fitness. This is specially a very important advantage for people having special needs. Differently abled children and adults can be taught to effectively overcome their limitations caused by cerebral palsy, amputation, multiple sclerosis etc. physical therapy is also beneficial as it improves the balance and posture of patients, improves concentration and strengthens the riding muscles.
Besides proving physical relief, equine therapy can also improve the emotional well being of patients after going through the trauma of diseases and debilitating physical limitations. Children suffering from ADHD, Down syndrome and other developmental disorders also experience a rise in the level of their cognitive and sensory skills.
For experiencing these countless advantages, you can easily contact the many equine assisted therapy centers or animal assisted therapy centers located in your area for more details.







1 Comment on Equine Physical Therapy »
July 7, 2008
Andrew Brereton @ 3:31 pm:
Good article. Equine therapy is increasingly coming to the fore as an important aspect in treating conditions like cerebra palsy. What interests me is where exactly the beneficial effect comes from. - contact with the animals? - maybe! I feel that an important aspect which needs to be investigated is the specific type of vestibular stimulation, which may be unique to riding a horse, and it's effect upon brain function. Interesting!