Effect of vestibular rehabilitation on change in health-related quality of life in patients with dizziness and balance problems after traumatic brain injury: A randomized controlled trial.
Helene L Søberg, Nada Andelic, Birgitta Langhammer and 3 others
PMID 33842981WHAT IT FOUND
Adding a 16-session vestibular rehabilitation programme to usual multidisciplinary care improved health-related quality of life scores by 6.5 points more than usual care alone.
Patients with higher baseline psychological distress also showed greater quality of life gains.
Key findings
01In a multivariate model, the intervention group had a mean 6.5 points higher change score on the Quality of Life after Brain Injury scale than the control group.
02Patients with more symptoms of psychological distress at baseline showed significantly higher improvement in health-related quality of life, independent of group allocation.
03Changes in self-reported dizziness on the Vertigo Symptom Scale were not associated with changes in health-related quality of life, despite significant reductions in vestibular symptoms over time.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study was a secondary analysis, and power calculations were based on the main outcome measures of the primary trial, not on the health-related quality of life scale used here, which raises the possibility of type II errors. The control group received usual multidisciplinary care, while the intervention group received both usual care and vestibular rehabilitation, so the specific contribution of the vestibular exercises versus the additional contact with therapists cannot be fully separated. The study did not determine whether baseline psychological distress was pre-existing or caused by the injury. Participants were recruited from a specialized rehabilitation clinic in Norway, which may limit generalizability to other settings.
Declared interests
The provided text does not list specific conflicts of interest or funding declarations.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that reducing dizziness symptoms is the primary mechanism for improved quality of life. The study found that changes in self-reported dizziness were not associated with quality of life gains, while improvements in post-concussion symptoms and psychological distress were.