Vestibular rehabilitation in individuals with vertiginous symptoms

Abstract

Introduction: Vestibular rehabilitation (RV) has been distinguished because of its physiological effect on the vestibular system, stimulating the visual, proprioceptive and vestibular systems, and thus endeavouring to maintain the corporal balance of individuals with vertiginous symptoms. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Cawthorne vestibular rehabilitation exercises by means of evaluation before and after the application of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory questionnaire (DHI). Material and method: Six patients of average age 67.5 years and (±SD) 5.35 with complaints of dizziness were evaluated and submitted to the following procedures: anamnesis, otorhinolaryngologic inspection, vestibular evaluation and application of the DHI before and after RV using the Cawthorne protocol Results: a) In the otoneurological complaints a prevalence of dizziness (100.0%), difficulty in hearing, tinnitus and paraesthesia of the extremities (30.0% in each), was observed; b) In the vestibular exam, all the patients presented peripheral irritative (50.0%) and deficient (50.0%) alterations; c) In the DHI questionnaire, there was an improvement in 4 patients (67.0%) and 2 patients (33.0%) remained stable; d) There was a significant improvement of the physical aspect (p=0.0431) after execution of the RV exercises. Conclusion: The protocol utilized was shown to be effective in the process of vestibular compensation, but the success of the treatment requires patient cooperation and active participation. RV is an important therapeutic tool for the control of vertigo and improvement in the quality of life