Hostname: page-component-669899f699-ggqkh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-29T01:43:01.766Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Vestibular rehabilitation using video gaming in adults with dizziness: a pilot study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 March 2018

J S Phillips ,
J Fitzgerald ,
D Phillis ,
A Underwood ,
I Nunney  and
A Bath
J S Phillips*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Norwich, UK
J Fitzgerald
Affiliation:
Department of Audiology, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Norwich, UK
D Phillis
Affiliation:
Department of Audiology, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Norwich, UK
A Underwood
Affiliation:
Department of Audiology, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Norwich, UK
I Nunney
Affiliation:
Norwich Clinical Trials Unit, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, UK
A Bath
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Norwich, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Mr John S Phillips, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UY, UK Fax: +44 (0)1603 287288 E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

To determine the effectiveness of vestibular rehabilitation using the Wii Fit balance platform, in adults with dizziness.

Methods:

A single-site prospective clinical trial was conducted in a university hospital in the UK. Forty patients with dizziness, who would normally be candidates for vestibular rehabilitation, were identified and considered as potential participants. Participants were randomised into either the treatment group (the Wii Fit group) or the control group (standard customised vestibular rehabilitation protocol). Participants were assessed over a 16-week period using several balance and quality of life questionnaires.

Results:

Both exercise regimes resulted in a reduction of dizziness and an improvement in quality of life scores over time, but no statistically significant difference between the two interventions was identified.

Conclusion:

This pilot study demonstrated that use of the Wii Fit balance platform resulted in a statistically significant improvement in balance function and quality of life. Furthermore, outcomes were comparable to a similar group of individuals following a standard customised vestibular rehabilitation protocol. The study provides useful information to inform the design and execution of a larger clinical trial.

Keywords

NeurotologyDizzinessVestibular DiseasesRehabilitationQuality Of Life
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 132 , Issue 3 , March 2018 , pp. 202 - 206
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

1 Yardley, L, Donovan-Hall, M, Smith, HE, Walsh, BM, Mullee, M, Bronstein, AM. Effectiveness of primary care-based vestibular rehabilitation for chronic dizziness. Ann Intern Med 2004;141:598–605.Google Scholar
2 Deutsch, JE, Borbely, M, Filler, J, Huhn, K, Guarrera-Bowlby, P. Use of a low-cost, commercially available gaming console (Wii) for rehabilitation of an adolescent with cerebral palsy. Phys Ther 2008;88:1196–207.Google Scholar
3 Flynn, S, Palma, P, Bender, A. Feasibility of using the Sony PlayStation 2 gaming platform for an individual poststroke: a case report. J Neurol Phys Ther 2007;31:180–9.Google Scholar
4 Jacobson, GP, Newman, CW. The development of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1990;116:424–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5 Ware, JE, Kosinski, M. SF-36 Physical and Mental Health Summary Scales: A Manual for Users of Version 1, 2nd edn. Lincoln, RI: QualityMetric, 1994.Google Scholar
6 Smith-Wheelock, M, Shepard, NT, Telian, SA. Physical therapy program for vestibular rehabilitation. Am J Otol 1991;12:218–25.Google Scholar
7 Brandt, T. Management of vestibular disorders. J Neurol 2000;247:491–9.Google Scholar
8 Cooksey, FS. Rehabilitation in vestibular injuries. Proc R Soc Med 1945;39:273–8.Google Scholar
9 Herdman, SJ, ed. Vestibular Rehabilitation. Philadelphia: FA Davis, 1999.Google Scholar
10 Igarashi, M, Levy, JK, O-Uchi, T, Reschke, MF. Further study of physical exercise and locomotor balance compensation after unilateral labyrinthectomy in squirrel monkeys. Acta Otolaryngol 1981;92:101–5.Google Scholar
11 Mathog, RH, Peppard, SB. Exercise and recovery from vestibular injury. Am J Otolaryngol 1982;3:397–407.Google Scholar
12 McDonnell, MN, Hillier, SL. Vestibular rehabilitation for unilateral peripheral vestibular dysfunction. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2015;(1):CD005397.Google Scholar
13 Hall, CD, Schubert, MC, Herdman, SJ. Prediction of fall risk reduction as measured by dynamic gait index in individuals with unilateral vestibular hypofunction. Otol Neurotol 2004;25:746–51.Google Scholar
14 Sparrer, I, Duong Dinh, TA, Ilgner, J, Westhofen, M. Vestibular rehabilitation using the Nintendo® Wii Balance Board – a user-friendly alternative for central nervous compensation. Acta Otolaryngol 2013;133:239–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15 Verdecchia, DH, Mendoza, M, Sanguineti, F, Binetti, AC. Outcomes after vestibular rehabilitation and Wii® therapy in patients with chronic unilateral vestibular hypofunction. Acta Otorrinolaringol Esp 2014;65:339–45.Google Scholar
16 Meldrum, D, Herdman, S, Vance, R, Murray, D, Malone, K, Duffy, D et al. Effectiveness of conventional versus virtual reality-based balance exercises in vestibular rehabilitation for unilateral peripheral vestibular loss: results of a randomized controlled trial. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2015;96:1319–28.Google Scholar
17 Piker, EG, Jacobson, GP, McCaslin, DL, Grantham, SL. Psychological comorbidities and their relationship to self-reported handicap in samples of dizzy patients. J Am Acad Audiol 2008;19:337–47.Google ScholarPubMed
18 Rosenberg, D, Depp, CA, Vahia, IV, Reichstadt, J, Palmer, BW, Kerr, J et al. Exergames for subsyndromal depression in older adults: a pilot study of a novel intervention. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2010;18:221–6.Google Scholar
19 Laver, K, Ratcliffe, J, George, S, Burgess, L, Crotty, M. Is the Nintendo Wii Fit really acceptable to older people? A discrete choice experiment. BMC Geriatr 2011;11:64.Google Scholar