Abstract

Background and Purpose. The vestibular rehabilitation is an exercise-based method, aiming to maximize central nervous system(CNS) compensation at vestibular nuclear and other CNS levels for vestibular pathology. A minimal number of studies have documented the impact of Vestibular rehabilitation on the recovery rate of patients with Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction(BVH). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of structured vestibular rehabilitation (VR) programs on severity of dizziness, kinesiophobia, balance, quality of sleep, activities of daily living(ADL) and quality of life(QoL) in subjects with chronic BVH.

Case Description. Three participants diagnosed with BVH who suffered from severity of dizziness, kinesiophobia, balance, quality of sleep, ADL and QoL were included in the study.

Intervention. A structured VR program was applied in 50-minute sessions once a week and as a home exercise program 3 days a week over 8 weeks.

Outcomes. Participants were evaluated for severity of dizziness with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), for kinesiophobia with the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK), for balance with the Semitandem, tandem, and standing tests, for quality of sleep with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), for ADL with the Vestibular Disorders Activities of Daily Life (VADL) and for QoL with Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) at the baseline (T0), at 4th week (T1), 8th week (T2), and 20th week (T3) after study started.

Conclusion. In conclusion, a twelve-week structured VR program may enhance severity of dizziness, kinesiophobia, balance, quality of sleep, ADL and QoL in participants with chronic BVH.

Keywords

bilateral vestibular hypofunction, dizziness, kinesiophobia, balance, Quality of Sleep, Quality Of Life