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Efficacy of vestibular rehabilitation therapy in reducing falls
John D Macias1, Shelly Massingale, Richard D Gerkin
1Macias Otology, Phoenix, Arizona, USA. jdmacias@earthlink.net
Objective:
To assess the short-term effectiveness of vestibular rehabilitation therapy in reducing fall risk in an at-risk population.
Study Design And Setting:
Retrospective chart review of 70 patients older than 50 years of age at risk for falls treated at a tertiary vestibular therapy center. Fall risk was assessed by the Berg balance test.
Results:
Vestibular rehabilitation therapy resulted in a statistically significant improvement in Berg balance test scores (pretherapy, 36.8, to posttherapy, 46.4). Referring diagnosis, age, and gender had no impact on outcome.
Conclusion:
Vestibular rehabilitation therapy significantly reduces the risk of falls in elderly at-risk patients with improvement measured at the termination of therapy.
Significance:
Vestibular rehabilitation therapy plays an important preventive role in reducing falls in at-risk elderly patients, with beneficial effects seen at termination of therapy.
