Electrical vestibular stimulation to improve balance in older adults: a pilot randomized controlled trial.
Jordan A King, Noah Walters, Nadine Rodrigues and 12 others
PMID 41174737WHAT IT FOUND
Repeated low-level electrical stimulation behind the ears reduced head sway during difficult standing tasks in older adults.
The effect persisted for six months in the hardest condition. This is a small pilot, so do not change practice yet.
Key findings
01The stimulation group showed significant reductions in head sway power compared to baseline in challenging conditions (eyes closed on foam) starting at Session 3, with improvements persisting through the 6-month follow-up.
02Participants with poorer initial balance in the eyes-closed firm-surface condition demonstrated the greatest improvement over the intervention period.
03Both the stimulation and sham groups reported significant increases in balance confidence scores from pre- to post-intervention.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Small sample size (40 analyzed) with no a priori power calculation, making results preliminary. Blinding was compromised: 72% of the stimulation group correctly guessed they received the active treatment, raising concerns about placebo or expectancy effects. The study excluded individuals with diagnosed vestibular disorders, so it is unclear if the effect holds for patients with specific vestibular pathologies. Gait and fall rates were not assessed; only standing balance was measured. The sham group showed some improvements in difficult conditions, suggesting practice effects from repeated testing may have contributed to gains.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Neursantys, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Neursantys Inc. is the manufacturer of the stimulation device used in the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the sustained improvement in the eyes-closed-on-foam condition as proof of efficacy for fall prevention. The study did not measure falls or gait, the sample was small and healthy, and blinding was imperfect, meaning expectancy effects could have contributed to the observed changes.
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 →