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Balance ability in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

Chang WC, Hsu LC, Yang YR, Wang RY

Institute and Faculty of Physical Therapy, National Yang-Ming University, Shih-Pai, Taipei, Taiwan.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to investigate the balance ability of the patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Twenty-three patients (63.3 +/- 9.2 years of age) with a diagnosis of unilateral posterior semicircular canal BPPV were recruited. Static balance was measured in 4 conditions with eyes open and eyes closed: stance on firm surface, stance on foam surface, left leg stance, and right leg stance. Dynamic balance was measured in tandem walk test. Data of the patients with BPPV were compared to age-matched norm values of the healthy adults. RESULTS: The patients with BPPV demonstrated greater sway velocity in stance on foam surface with eyes closed (P < 0.05), in single leg stance with eyes closed (P < 0.001), and in tandem walk test (P < 0.05) compared to the healthy adults. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with BPPV demonstrated impaired static and dynamic balance ability particularly when depriving visual and changing proprioceptive inputs. SIGNIFICANCE: Clinically, in addition to canalith repositioning maneuver, balance retraining on different conditions may be a useful adjunct to treatment for patients with BPPV.

Published 2 October 2006 in Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 135(4): 534-40.
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