Horse riding could help people recover after suffering a stroke, researchers have found.<\/p>\n
Experts discovered patients benefited from horse riding lessons even five years after experiencing a life-changing attack.<\/p>\n
Patients who had the lessons twice a week for 12 weeks saw improvements in balance, walking gait, grip strength and cognition.<\/p>\n
Stroke victims saw their average scores on these attributes increase by 10 per cent over the three-month course – in which time a group of patients not involved in the classes saw their scores fall by an average 0.5 per cent.<\/p>\n
Crucially, some 56 per cent of patients who underwent the lessons saw benefits that were sustained for at least six months after the course had ended, the scientists found.<\/p>\n
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![\"Horse](\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/06\/16\/09\/4176EEE900000578-4610280-image-a-9_1497603432940.jpg\")
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Horse riding lessons twice a week for 12 weeks produced improvements in balance, walking gait, grip strength and cognition<\/p>\n
How does it work?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The researchers think horse riding is so successful because the rocking of the horse\u2019s back create a sensory experience that closely resembles normal human gait – reminding them of the sensation of walking and balancing.<\/p>\n The research, by experts in Sweden and Australia, also found a form of therapy in which patients beat their hands and feet to music was beneficial, although only to about half the degree of the horse-riding lessons.<\/p>\n People who took part in the rhythm-and-music classes improved by 5 per cent, and 43 per cent saw the benefits last six months.<\/p>\n Study leader Professor Michael Nilsson of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said: \u2018Significant improvements are still possible, even years after a stroke, using motivating, comprehensive therapies provided in stimulating physical and social surroundings to increase brain activity and recovery.\u2019<\/p>\n How was the study carried out?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The team studied 123 Swedish men and women, aged 50 to 75, who had suffered strokes between 10 months and five years earlier.<\/p>\n Survivors were randomly assigned to the rhythm-and-music therapy, horse-riding group or normal care.<\/p>\n An estimated 150,000 people have a stroke each year in Britain.<\/p>\n A quarter die within a year, and of the survivors, half are left with long-lasting disability, which can include paralysis, speech problems and personality changes.<\/p>\n The extent to which people recover – and their chance of long-term survival – is hugely dependent on having good care, rehabilitation and support in the aftermath of a stroke.<\/p>\n Yet four in ten leave hospital without any sort of care plan – and more than a third do not receive the six-month check-up recommended in national guidelines.<\/p>\n Revolutionise stroke care\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Getting access to such a simple therapy as horse riding or music lessons – which are both available cheaply at centres across the country – could revolutionise the way stroke care is delivered.<\/p>\n Making or listening to music improves stroke, dementia and autism sufferers’ ability to communicate, research revealed yesterday.<\/p>\n It also benefits their families by making them feel less isolated and neglected from their communities, the study found.<\/p>\n Music may help verbally-challenged people communicate by allowing them to explore their creativity, according to the Plymouth University researchers.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n Emily McGrath, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: \u2018A stroke happens when the blood supply to part of your brain is cut off, causing your brain cells to become damaged or die.<\/p>\n \u2018Suffering a stroke affects different people in different ways, but can leave people with life-changing disabilities.<\/p>\n \u2018This study suggests that people with persistent disabilities after suffering a stroke, such as cognitive issues or balance, should be encouraged to participate in long-term rehab programmes which target a range of functions.<\/p>\n \u2018This is because interestingly, stroke patients\u2019 perception of their own recovery improved.<\/p>\n \u2018However, more research is needed to further assess the effectiveness of rehab therapies like this.\u2019<\/p>\n Interesting findings<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n Dr Shamim Quadir, research communications manager at the Stroke Association, added: \u2018This is a small, but interesting study.<\/p>\n \u2018It suggests therapy with horse riding, or rhythmic walking can improve patients\u2019 perception of their recovery even years after their stroke.<\/p>\n \u2018Both types of therapy involve lots of different types of stimulation, for example, to their vision, balance and posture, all acting at the same time.<\/p>\n \u2018So it would be good to see larger studies which look into how these different stimuli might work together or alone to benefit people recovering from a stroke.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Horse riding could help people recover after suffering a stroke, researchers have found. Experts discovered patients benefited from horse riding lessons even five years after experiencing a life-changing attack. Patients who had the lessons twice a week for 12 weeks saw improvements in balance, walking gait, grip strength and cognition. Stroke victims saw their average Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-184087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184087"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184087\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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