Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Amaçları
Yayınlar
- Derleme MakaleAçık Erişim2026Scopus SJRQ3Acute effect of hippotherapy applied on different sitting surfaces in children with special needs
Gulcelik, Gonul Ertunc; Sever, Ebru; Atalay, Burak; Dursun, Emirhan; Memisoglu, Irem
PurposeThis study aimed to assess the acute effects of hippotherapy performed on different seating surfaces on sitting balance and walking speed in children with special needs.Materials and MethodsChildren aged 3-18 years with special needs were included. Participants were assigned to three groups: Group 1 (Saddle), Group 2 (No saddle, direct horse contact), and Group 3 (Saddle with additional texture material). Each group received a 30-min hippotherapy session in a riding arena. Sitting balance was measured with the BeCure balance system, and walking speed was assessed using the 10-meter walk test before and immediately after the session.ResultsNo significant improvement was found in sitting balance in any group after the intervention. However, Group 3 showed increased walking speed compared to Groups 1 and 2. Intergroup comparisons showed no statistically significant differences in sitting balance or walking speed.ConclusionDifferent texture materials used on saddles may provide more noticeable acute effects in hippotherapy. Future research should involve larger sample sizes and explore subacute and long-term outcomes.
AtıfWoS1
İncele - MakaleYalnız künye2026Scopus SJRQ2Relationship of kinesiophobia with pain, disability, and lumbar multifidus muscle morphology in chronic mechanical low back pain: an ultrasonographic cross-sectional study
Özbek, İlhan Celil; Gulcelik, Gonul Ertunc; Ünlü, Zeliha; Tıkız, Canan; Özduran, Erkan
Background: Chronic mechanical low back pain (CMLBP) cannot be explained by biomechanical factors alone; psychosocial factors such as kinesiophobia may also relate to structural changes in trunk-stabilizing muscles. Ultrasonography enables objective assessment of lumbar multifidus morphology (anteroposterior [AP] thickness and cross-sectional area [CSA]). Aims: To investigate the relationship between kinesiophobia and lumbar multifidus morphology among those with CMLBP, and to determine whether this relationship is independent of pain intensity, disability, and demographic/anthropometric factors. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 100 patients with CMLBP (≥3 months) were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK; low <37, high ≥37). Bilateral multifidus AP thickness and CSA were measured ultrasonographically at L4–L5. Group comparisons, correlation, partial correlation, and regression analyses were performed. Results: Mean age was 49.8 ± 12.6 years (68% female); 65% had high kinesiophobia, more frequent among women (76.9% vs. 51.4%, p =.017). The high-TSK group showed higher VAS (6.68 ± 1.98 vs. 5.03 ± 1.71, d = 0.87) and ODI (35.12 ± 15.23 vs. 24.46 ± 11.47, d = 0.76), and smaller multifidus AP thickness and CSA (d = 0.48–0.62). Kinesiophobia scores correlated positively with VAS (r = 0.53) and ODI (r = 0.64), and negatively with multifidus thickness/CSA (r = −0.24 to −0.41). After adjusting for VAS and ODI, the TSK–CSA correlation was markedly attenuated and lost significance (partial r = −0.13 to −0.18, p >.05); after adjusting for age, sex, and BMI, it remained significant (partial r = −0.36 to −0.40, p <.001). Regression confirmed VAS and ODI, but not CSA, as independent predictors of TSK. Conclusions: High kinesiophobia is associated with greater pain, disability, and reduced multifidus morphology among those with CMLBP. However, this morphological association appears largely mediated by pain and disability rather than being independent of them, while remaining unrelated to demographic/anthropometric confounding. These cross-sectional findings support a biopsychosocial framework and warrant longitudinal confirmation.