Effectiveness of rehabilitation of patients with cerebrovascular insufficiency using the biofeedback method

Abstract

Objective: To study the effectiveness of the biological feedback (BOS) method in the rehabilitation of patients with cerebral circulation disorders. Materials and methods: 555 patients with chronic cerebral ischemia were examined. All the patients were diagnosed with problems with movement coordination in vertical position. If necessary, the patients received standard conservative therapy. In addition to it, a method for increasing physical activity based on the BOS method was used. A stabilometric examination was carried out on Trust-M equipment. Patient 10m walking time was evaluated. The patients’ quality of life was assessed on a visual analogue scale (VAS). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated based on the measurement of patient height and weight. Results: Before the start of the treatment, there is a tendency of a decrease in the average speed of movement in BOS with age. The average speed of movement in women is lower than that in men. With age, the maximum horizontal speed of movement also decreases. After the treatment, the speed of movement in men decreased in all age groups, and in women, the speed increased in groups older than 60 years. In all age groups, women had a larger increase in the rate of movement. Before the treatment, men spent less time than women on performing a walking test of 10 m. After the treatment, the test time decreases only in the group of men of 61 years and older, and in women — in the group of 51 years and older. The original quality of life of men, measured by the VAS scale, is higher than that of women. These diff erences become unreliable starting from the third BOS session. As a result of the treatment, the energy spent on maintaining the vertical position of the body in the group of persons up to 50 years is reduced. The correlations of mean force between the BMI and the energy spent on maintaining the vertical body position and upright posture retention were obtained. In persons under 50 years of age, the correlation coeffi cient in men is signifi cantly greater than in women. The correlation coeffi cient tends to decrease with age. Conclusion: It has been demonstrated that BOS therapy can have a positive eff ect on patients with cerebrovascular diseases (the increased speed of movement and reduced energy consumption on keeping the body in an upright position). The intensity of the eff ect depends on gender and age.