Head movement kinematics are altered during balance stability exercises in individuals with vestibular schwannoma.
Omid A Zobeiri, Lin Wang, Jennifer L Millar and 2 others
PMID 36352393WHAT IT FOUND
Patients with vestibular schwannoma showed significantly more unstable head motion than healthy controls during eyes-closed balance exercises, both before and after surgery.
A simple sensor-based score from these exercises distinguished the groups, but surgical deafferentation did not improve head kinematics at 6 weeks.
Key findings
01Head motion variability was significantly greater in patients with vestibular schwannoma compared to healthy controls during eyes-closed balance exercises, both before and after surgery.
02There was no significant improvement in head kinematics at 6 weeks post-surgery compared to pre-surgery measurements.
03Preoperative head kinematics correlated with clinical measures like Dynamic Visual Acuity and Functional Gait Assessment, but postoperative kinematics did not consistently correlate with clinical outcomes.
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 9 patients, which limits the generalizability of the findings. The follow-up period was short (6 weeks), so it is unclear if kinematic improvements occur later. The study was exploratory and did not correct for multiple comparisons, increasing the risk of false-positive findings. The 'kinematic score' is a novel metric that has not yet been validated in larger clinical populations or compared directly to gold-standard posturography in this context.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by NIH and US Government grants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that surgery worsened balance or that the kinematic score is ready for clinical use. The study was small and exploratory, and the lack of improvement at 6 weeks may reflect the natural timeline of vestibular compensation rather than a negative surgical effect.