Vestibular rehabilitation with biofeedback in patients with central imbalance

Abstract

Cent ral Nervous System disorders may cause important functional unbalance in the maintenance of balance and posture. There is no effective rehabilitation for these symptoms until now.Objective: The aim of this paper is to evaluate the use of tongue electrotactile stimulation on patients with central imbalance using BrainPort. Materials and Methods:This is a prospective case series study. We evaluated 8 patients with central imbalance, 6 men and 2 women, with mean age of 67.75 years. The patients were submitted to Computed Dynamic Posturography (CDP) and then received 18 sessions of electrotactile stimulation by BrainPort® device for 20 minutes, twice a day. Then they were submitted to a new CDP test and to a self-perception scale to assess symptom remission, partial improvement and no improvement at all.Results: 75% of the patients reported being more stable. There was no improvement in the balance control of the mass center in these patients. Conclusion:The patients were able to use the electrotactile stimulus to improve their balance control. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2011;77(3):356-61. ORIGINAL ARTICLE BJORL

Vestibular Rehabilitation Outcomes in the Elderly with Chronic Vestibular Dysfunction

“…Similar to other studies (18, 19) this study also has shown that VRT has a positive effect on the symptoms of chronic vestibular failure. VRT is an exercise-based approach designed to maximize central nervous system compensation in vestibular pathology (20-22). VRT will accelerate and improve central compensation via the mechanisms of habituation training, which enhances adaptation of the vestibulo-ocular and vestibule-spinal reflexes as well as substitution.…”

Rehabilitacja przedsionkowa w zawrotach głowy i zaburzeniach równowagi

“…Poza klasyczną metodą rehabilitacji przedsionkowej opisanej powyżej istnieją także metody rehabilitacji instrumentalnej z użyciem ruchomej platformy [43], urządzenia Vertiquard system [44], urządzenia BrainPort [45], stymulacji optokinetycznej [46], Komputerowej Posturografii Dynamicznej [46,47] oraz techniki Nintendo Wii Fit Plus, technologii opartej na rzeczywistości wirtualnej [48]. Alternatywną formą terapii jest technika Tai Chi, zyskująca coraz większą popularność także wśród osób w wieku podeszłym [49,50].…”

Utility of Electro-Tactile (Brain Port®) Stimulation in Vestibular Rehabilitation

“…When there is no vestibular system functional, central nervous system has problems to do a right integration from the other afferent systems: visual and proprioception. 2 Brain Port® is a device designed to represent quantitative and qualitative information of the tongue´s anterior surface by electric stimulus through a matrix of electrodes, 3 Head position data (artificially sensed by a micro-electro mechanical system (MEMS) accelerometer) serve as the input signals for the Brain Port® device.…”