A Walk on the Wild Side May Help Your Child Thrive
The Hippotherapy Alternative
When you find out that your child has cerebral palsy, you are concerned that his opportunities for fun and recreation will be forever limited. You desperately want to spare him the pain of being cooped up in a hospital room for treatment sessions while his friends run and play outdoors.
However, today’s therapeutic options for youngsters with CP offer up the kind of thrills and adventure that any child would remember for a lifetime.
Despite the name, hippotherapy has nothing to do with hippos. Instead, it is actually horses that aid your child in:
- Achieving more normal balance
- Improving posture
- Improving movement
- Improving muscle strength
Thanks to this equestrian form of therapy, some children have even learned how to walk.
How Hippotherapy Works
First, a specially trained therapist sits behind your child on the horse should she need support for her head or any other body part. If your child can sit in a saddle without support, the therapist walks beside the horse.
Your child rides the horse for about 30 minutes at a time; she may do this several times a week.
What researchers have found is that the rhythmic stride of a horse is much like the gait of your child when she walks. The horse’s movements give your child the sensation of walking and / or motion—an incredible feeling if she has trouble moving around on her own.
More than a way for your child to build muscles, hippotherapy gives her a chance to interact with an animal whose company she might not otherwise get to experience. Plus, horses—like cats, dogs, and other household pets—tend to lower blood pressure in humans. Spending time with these large, gentle creatures is stimulating to the senses and will encourage your child to explore new textures, sights, and smells.
Most importantly, your child can forget about the aches, pains and daily struggles of living with cerebral palsy. She will smile, laugh, and feel a sense of both freedom and pride.
Help Your Child Benefit from Exciting Treatments Like Hippotherapy
It’s only natural that you want the best for your child. Yet you might feel you are forced to choose between necessary treatments and more expensive “alternative therapies.” What if you no longer had to choose? To answer that question, you may first need to know if your child’s cerebral palsy could have been prevented.
You also need to know that your medical team did everything possible to keep your baby safe and healthy. If your doctor failed you and your baby in any way, you may be entitled to financial help.
Be your child’s best advocate and talk to an expert. Some of his therapeutic expenses may be eligible for coverage.
Contact 4MYCHILD today and see if your child is eligible for Benefits4Life.
