Effects of photobiomodulation associated with vestibular rehabilitation in the treatment of patients with vestibular symptoms and tinnitus: a triple-blind randomized clinical trial.
Thales Roges Vanderlei de Góes, Marine Raquel Diniz da Rosa, Giorvan Anderson Dos Santos Alves and 2 others
PMID 41670118WHAT IT FOUND
Adding infrared light therapy to vestibular rehab reduced tinnitus discomfort and improved some balance measures more than rehab alone.
However, both groups improved similarly on dizziness handicap and stability limits, so the added benefit was specific to certain outcomes.
Key findings
01The group receiving active light therapy plus rehab showed significant improvements in tinnitus discomfort and handicap scores compared to the group receiving placebo light therapy plus rehab.
02Both groups improved similarly on dizziness handicap scores and visual analog scales for dizziness, with no statistical difference between them.
03Active light therapy plus rehab led to significantly better sensory analysis of vestibular function scores than rehab plus placebo.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only twenty participants, which limits the certainty of the findings. Five participants dropped out during treatment, reducing the initial randomized sample from twenty-five to twenty. The underlying causes of the vestibular symptoms and tinnitus were not analyzed in the results, which may affect generalizability to different etiologies.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that light therapy improves dizziness or balance more than vestibular rehabilitation alone. The study found no significant difference between the groups for dizziness handicap scores or limits of stability; the benefits were specific to tinnitus discomfort and one posturography measure.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →