Examining the Benefits and Effectiveness of Using Horses for Therapeutic and Recreational Activities with Aged Patients
Abstract
Chronic pain is a complicated universal public health condition that impacts several aspects of daily living, work-related factors, quality of life and health. Some benefits for chronic pain can come from horseback riding elderly individuals by improving postural control and other bio-psychosocial mechanisms. Consequently, the present study examines the possible advantages of Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT) as a means of managing persistent pain, with a particular focus on the effects on postural maintenance and bio-psychosocial mechanisms. Using Google Scholar and PubMed electronic databases, a thorough search of research was conducted using PRISMA guidelines. From the initial collection of 1000 studies, 25 publications, including seven randomized controlled trials, were chosen for inclusion in the review. The selected publications were subjected to a rigorous risk of bias assessment and essential characteristics of research participants and treatments were extensively reviewed. Applying change-from-baseline metrics, elderly individuals with low back pain had a substantial reduction in pain associated with horse riding simulators. Nonetheless, the meta-analysis using post-intervention variables yielded a p-value of 0.06. There were not enough papers on therapies using actual horses to allow for a meta-analysis. According to this study, horseback riding, especially when done with simulators, can be an effective form of exercise for lowering chronic pain, especially in older people with low back pain.
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