Abstract
Objective To describe the results of a vestibular rehabilitation (VR) program in the timed up and go (TUG), gait speed (GS), and dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) scores for elderly vestibular patients in a developing country. Methods Descriptive study with retrospective data collected from the clinical records of vestibular patients. The following information was recorded: sex, age, type of vestibular disorder, DHI score, and performance in TUG and GS, before and after participation in a VR program taking place from January 1 to August 30, 2017. The VR program consisted of 10 twice weekly sessions in the clinic and daily exercises at the patient's home. We used Student's t-test for paired and Wilcoxon's test according to the data distribution. The level of significance was 5%. Results Data from 57 patients (49 females; 78 ± 5.8 years old) were used. There were statistically significant differences in TUG (12.52 versus 11.56), GS (0.81 versus 0.90 m/s), DHI total handicap (46 versus 24), physical (14 versus 8), emotional (14 versus 6), and functional (18 versus 12) domains. Conclusion The functional outcome measures reported, including TUG, gait speed, and DHI, reflect statistically significant improvements in elderly patients after vestibular rehabilitation; the DHI improvements are clinically relevant.
Highlights
Patients with dysfunction in the vestibular system often complain of dizziness, balance impairments, and visual or gaze disturbances [1, 2]
Study Design and Population. is is a descriptive study with retrospective data collected from the clinical records of vestibular patients aged 65 years or older at a vestibular rehabilitation clinic located in an urban middle-income environment. e following information was recorded: sex, age, type of vestibular disorder, dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) score, and performance in timed up and go (TUG) and gait speed (GS), before and after their participation in a vestibular rehabilitation program taking place from January 1 to August 30, 2017
People without a specific diagnosis who had central signs during the physiotherapist’s evaluation were referred to a neurologist, and patients who only suffered from benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) without residual symptoms were not included in a vestibular rehabilitation (VR) program, no data from functional tests were found in the clinical history of these two groups of patients
Summary
Patients with dysfunction in the vestibular system often complain of dizziness, balance impairments, and visual or gaze disturbances [1, 2]. Is consists of an individualized exercise program which has been developed to address the deficits identified during the physical therapy evaluation and which has been shown to be an effective treatment for patients with dizziness. Journal of Aging Research and balance disorders [5] This program includes compensatory responses, adaptation for visual-vestibular interaction, substitution and postural control exercises, fall prevention, (re)conditioning activities, and functional/occupational retraining [6]. E objective of the VR program is to encourage compensation after peripheral and central vestibular disorders, reducing symptoms of dizziness and vertigo and the risk of falls, while increasing confidence in equilibrium and encouraging the return to activities of daily living [5, 7]. Information is still lacking, on the population that suffers from peripheral and central vestibular disorders and the effects of VR programs, especially in developing countries
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