Effectiveness of Vestibular Electrical Stimulation in Vestibular Rehabilitation

Ankara City Hospital Bilkent38 enrolled

Overview

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the vestibular rehabilitation program applied to patients with chronic unilateral vestibular hypofunction and the vestibular electrical stimulation applied to the trapezius muscles and cervical paravertebral muscles along with the rehabilitation program.

This study included 40 patients with unilateral vestibular hypofunction findings, aged between 18 and 65, and whose unilateral vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain for any semicircular canal was below 0.7 based on the video head impulse test (vHIT) test, were randomized into two groups. While one group underwent a supervised vestibular rehabilitation program for 4 weeks, the other group received 80 Hz high frequency transcutaneous vestibular electrical stimulation (VES) in addition to the supervised vestibular rehabilitation program. The treatment was applied to each group, 3 days a week, for a total of 12 sessions. Detailed musculoskeletal system examinations and vestibular system examinations of the included patients were performed, and sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, body mass index (BMI), education level) were recorded. Both groups were tested before treatment and at the end of the 4th week, Dizziness Disability Inventory (DHI), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), Activity-Specific Balance and Confidence Scale (ABCs), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Static Posturography.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Vestibular Diseases Vestibular Disorder Vestibular Vertigo

Interventions

Vestibular RehabilitationOTHER

supervised vestibular rehabilitation program

Vestibular Electrical StimulationOTHER

80 Hz high frequency transcutaneous vestibular electrical stimulation (VES)

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 65 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Being between the ages of 18-65 * Patients who were evaluated by a Neurologist, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist and otorhinolaryngologist and diagnosed with chronic unilateral vestibular hypofunction and have findings of chronic unilateral vestibular hypofunction * Patients whose VOR gain for any unilateral semicircular canal based on vHIT test is below 0.7 * Patients who volunteered to participate in the study and signed the consent forms Exclusion Criteria: * Existing neurological or mental disorders * Patients using vestibulosuppressant drugs * Stroke, head trauma and other neurological diseases * Patients with a history of brain surgery * Patients with severely limited neck joint range of motion (those with a limitation of 45 degrees or more)

Locations (1)

Ankara Bilkent City Hospital Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Hospital

Ankara, Çankaya, Turkey (Türkiye)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Dizziness Handicap Inventory

'Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI)' consists of 25 items that determine the functional and sensory consequences of vestibular system diseases as well as the factors that aggravate dizziness and balance disorders. Questions 1, 4, 8, 11, 13, 17 and 25 of the scale are structured to measure physical disability; questions 2, 9, 10, 15, 18, 20, 21, 22 and 23 are structured to measure emotional disability; questions 3, 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, 16, 19 and 24 are structured to measure functional disability. Each question is scored as yes (4 points), no (0 points) and sometimes (2 points). The level of disability can be categorized according to the scale: 16-34 points = mild disability; 36-52 points = moderate disability; 54+ points = severe disability

Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks

Secondary Outcomes

Dizziness Severity Visual Analog Scale

Dizziness Severity: Using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), patients are asked to indicate the severity of dizziness they have felt in the last week on a 10-centimeter chart. 0: no symptoms, 10: symptoms are evaluated as very severe.

Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks

Timed Up and Go Test

Functional mobility and fall risk in patients are assessed with a timed up and go test. Patients were asked to get up from a standard arm chair, walk a distance of three meters, come back and sit down, and the time was calculated in seconds. When the timed up and go test is completed in more than 12 seconds, the risk of falling is considered to be increased.

Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks

Berg Balance Score

The "Berg Balance Scale" is used to determine the risk of falling in patients. It is a scale that shows whether patients can maintain their balance while performing 14 different tasks. It includes tasks such as sitting without support, standing up without support, standing in tandem, sitting down while standing, picking up objects from the floor, looking back while standing, standing on one leg, standing with eyes closed. Scoring is between 0 (cannot do) and 4 (safely do). The maximum score is 56.

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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