Interactive Rehabilitation for Adults With Unilateral Vestibular Weakness

Efficacy of Vestibular Rehabilitation Using Computerized Dynamic Posturography With Virtual Reality for Stable Unilateral Vestibular Weakness

People that have difficulty with balance, such as those with damage to their inner ear, have a higher risk of falling, which may lead to anxiety and reduced quality of life. Some individuals that have lost part of their sense of balance can learn to compensate using information from their vision, their sense of where their limbs are in space, and from other balance organs that are still intact. Our study aims to determine if virtual reality used together with information from footplate sensors can be used to train people with balance problems to compensate for their inner ear deficits.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult Age 18-80

• Unilateral vestibular weakness confirmed one or more of:

  • Videonystagmography
  • VEMP

• Or unilateral vestibular weakness idiopathic, not yet diagnosed (NYD)

• Persistent imbalance following diagnosis of resolved benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)

• Symptomatic

• Long-standing/persistent symptoms greater than one year

Exclusion Criteria:

• Orthopedic deficit (eg. lower body joint dysfunction or lower joint replacement)
• Neurological deficit or proprioception deficit
• Diabetes
• Poor vision or blindness
• Fluctuating vestibular symptoms, or condition known to fluctuate eg. Menière's disease, perilymphatic fistula (PLF) or superior canal deshicsence (SDCS)
• Active benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
• Undergoing treatment which may affect balance or ability to stand
• Cognitive impairment that prevents understanding and responding to instructions required to complete the study
• Inability to provide informed consent