Department of Audiology, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
J Vestib Res. 2021;31(6):541-551. doi: 10.3233/VES-201609.
Dizziness and imbalance are common symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), and rehabilitation interventions varying greatly in effectiveness.
To compare the effectiveness of vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) and noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation (nGVS) on dizziness and balance in PwMS.
This was a single-blind, randomized controlled trial. Twenty-four PwMS were randomly divided into groups of VRT, nGVS, and Control. The VRT and the nGVS groups underwent the intervention program. The patients were assessed with the composite score in anteroposterior and lateral directions (CS AP and LAT) obtained by sensory organization test (SOT), Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), and Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC).
The VRT group showed greater improvements in CS AP and LAT, DHI total score, and ABC total score compared with the nGVS group and the control group. No significant difference was found between the nGVS group and the control group. These results were approximately stable at the 4-week follow-up.
These findings provided evidence for effectiveness of the VRT in improvement of dizziness and balance in PwMS. These improvements were not associated with the nGVS. Further studies are needed to assess the effectiveness of the nGVS on dizziness and balance in PwMS.
头晕和平衡障碍是多发性硬化症患者（PwMS）常见的症状，康复干预措施的效果差异很大。
比较前庭康复治疗（VRT）和电刺激前庭康复（nGVS）对 PwMS 头晕和平衡的疗效。
这是一项单盲、随机对照试验。24 例 PwMS 随机分为 VRT 组、nGVS 组和对照组。VRT 和 nGVS 组接受干预方案。采用感觉组织测试（SOT）的前后方向和侧向复合评分（CS AP 和 LAT）、头晕残疾量表（DHI）和活动特异性平衡信心量表（ABC）评估患者。
与 nGVS 组和对照组相比，VRT 组 CS AP 和 LAT、DHI 总分和 ABC 总分的改善更为显著。nGVS 组与对照组之间无显著差异。这些结果在 4 周随访时基本保持稳定。
这些发现为 VRT 改善 PwMS 头晕和平衡提供了证据。这些改善与 nGVS 无关。需要进一步研究评估 nGVS 对 PwMS 头晕和平衡的疗效。
