Vestibular Rehabilitation in Patients With Vestibular Migraine

Efficacy of Vestibular Rehabilitation in Patients With Vestibular Migraine

Abstract: Introduction:

Vestibular migraine(VM) is a disease that manifests with episodic vertigo attacks in patients with or without migraine type headaches, when present accompanying the headaches. Its prevalence was found out as %1 in a study in Germany. It usually involves middle aged women. VM can make a huge impact on quality of life, therefore advances in its diagnosis and management are valuable. While pharmacotherapy that is being used in migraine can be beneficial, vestibular rehabilitation(VR) programmes are predicted to be one of the most important types of treatment in management of VM. This study compares the results of pharmacological management options and vestibular rehabilitation programmes in the context of dizziness, balance problems and headache.

Material and methods:

77 patients with VM were included in study, and 60 of them completed it. While one group took only VR programme, and another took only pharmacological prophylaxis. The third group took a combined therapy, and the groups were consisted of 20 patients. Patients were assessed with caloric tests, audiometric studies, static posturography, Dizziness Handicap Inventory(DHI), and Activities Specific Balance Confidence(ABC) scales. All of the assessments were applied 3 times throughout the study, and the results were compared with relevant statistical tests.

Inclusion Criteria:

• 1-Vestibular Migraine diagnosis according to International Classification of Headache Disorders (3 rd edition-Beta version) 2- No history of vestibular rehabilitation or exercises

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of psychiatric disorder which might interfere with compliance to study
• Other diagnosis that might possibly cause vestibular disorder(cerebellar disorders, Meniere disease etc)
• Anatomical defects of the inner ear or vestibular system
• Patients who are unable to stand up straight or walk