Temporomandibular disorders and cervicogenic dizziness: Relations between cervical range of motion and clinical parameters.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the cervical range of motion (CROM) and clinical parameters in patients affected by myogenous temporomandibular disorders (TMD), cervicogenic dizziness (CGD), both TMD and CGD (TMD/CGD), and a group of healthy subjects (HS). METHODS: CROM degrees, Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK-17), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Jaw Functional Limitation Scale 20 (JFLS-20) scores were compared between 46 TMD patients, 49 CGD subjects, 43 TMD/CGD patients, and 98 HS. RESULTS: TMD/CGD and CGD patients demonstrated significantly lower CROM degrees and higher DHI, TSK-17, and HADS values when compared to TMD patients. TMD/CGD and TMD patients demonstrated higher JFLS-20 values when compared to CGD and HS. Significant negative correlations were found in TMD/CGD and TMD patients between JFLS-20 and CROM in flexion and extension. DISCUSSION: Present findings demonstrated a relation between spine movement impairment and TMD.

Postural and clinical outcomes of sustained natural apophyseal glides treatment in cervicogenic dizziness patients: A randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate how self-report and posturographic measures could be affected in patients with cervicogenic dizziness undergoing sustained natural apophyseal glides. DESIGN: Randomised controlled single-blind study. SETTING: Tertiary rehabilitation centre. SUBJECTS: Patients affected by cervicogenic dizziness, diagnosed by applying accepted criteria. Forty-one patients (19 male, 22 female: mean age 44.3 ± 14.8 years) receiving treatment, and 39 patients (18 male, 21 female: mean age 43.8 ± 13.9 years) receiving placebo were included in the study. INTERVENTIONS: The treatment group underwent sustained natural apophyseal glides, while the placebo was constituted by a detuned laser. Both groups received their interventions six times over 4 weeks. MAIN MEASURES: Outcomes were tested by means of self-report measures such as perceived dizziness, neck disability, anxiety and depression. Also, cervical range of motion and posturography testing with power spectra frequency were analysed. RESULTS: When compared to placebo, treated patients demonstrated a significant decrease in perceived dizziness (post-treatment total Dizziness Handicap Inventory score 20.5 ± 5.3 as compared to 26.2 ± 6 baseline), neck disability and pain (Neck Disability Index and Neck Pain Index post-treatment scores 12.5 ± 4.3 and 45.6 ± 15.1, respectively, as compared to baseline scores of 15.1 ± 4.8 and 62.5 ± 14.3), as well as significant improvement in cervical range of motion and some posturographic parameters. CONCLUSION: Sustained natural apophyseal glides may represent a useful intervention in reaching short-term beneficial effects in patients with cervicogenic dizziness, with respect to self-perceived symptoms, proprioceptive integration and cervical range of motion improvement.

Diagnostic route of cervicogenic dizziness: usefulness of posturography, objective and subjective testing implementation and their correlation.

PURPOSE: To evaluate posturography measurements, and their association with other clinical tests used for cervicogenic dizziness diagnosis, in a cohort of subjects suffering from cervicogenic dizziness, compared with healthy subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-three cervicogenic dizziness patients and 98 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects underwent video-Head impulse test, posturography testing, evaluation of cervical spine movements by means of cervical range of motion goniometer and self-report and performance measures, including Dizziness Handicap Inventory, Neck Disability Index, Neck Pain Intensity, Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. RESULTS: Cervicogenic dizziness patients demonstrated significant increases in classical posturography parameters (i.e., surface and length) and in power spectra values within middle and high-frequency interval depicting balance control alterations especially due to proprioceptive integration changes. Furthermore, decreases in degrees of cervical range of motion and increases of self-report and performance measures - highlighting significant complaints of subjective feeling of dizziness - were found in these patients when compared with healthy subjects. Multiple correlations were found between posturography testing and cervical range of motion and Dizziness Handicap Inventory as well as between different self-report and performance measures in cervicogenic dizziness patients. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of posturography - including power spectra analysis - coupled with appropriate exclusion of other disorders, may represent a useful tool in improving cervicogenic dizziness assessment in terms of cost, time consumption and correlation with other measurements.Implications for rehabilitationUncertainties in diagnostic assessment of cervicogenic dizziness reflect doubts regarding the causes underpinning the symptoms of imbalance, unsteadiness, and disorientation.Posturography measurement is a low-cost, time-sparing technique and its implementations have proven to be useful in detecting significant alterations in body sway during perturbating situations.Implementation of power spectra analysis on posturography testing may represent a useful tool in improving cervicogenic dizziness assessment also in terms of rehabilitative treatment follow-up.

Age-related Assessment of Postural Control Development: A Cross-sectional Study in Children and Adolescents.

The aim of this study was to outline an age-dependent range of posturography measures obtained from healthy children. One hundred and fifty healthy 4-18-year-old children underwent video Head Impulse Test and static posturography testing. Surface, length and power spectra values were compared between each group of pupils and 32 healthy adults. As well as a significant (p < 0.025) increase in surface and length, when compared to healthy adults, increased values within the low/middle frequency domain and within the high frequency domain were also observed in 4-13 and 4-7-year-old children, respectively. In conclusion, although the nature of postural control development remains largely undetermined, this study represents a first attempt to outline an age-dependent normal range of the relative contribution of inputs in typically developing children.

Vestibular rehabilitation in older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment: Effects of virtual reality using a head-mounted display.

PURPOSE: Due to the gap in the knowledge in the field of vestibular rehabilitation the purpose of this randomized study is to highlight the outcomes of head-mounted display (HMD) implementation in older adults and patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), suffering from unilateral vestibular hypofunction (UVH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain, postural sway examination and dizziness-related and quality of life scores were collected in 12 UVH elderly and 12 UVH subjects suffering from MCI only undergoing vestibular rehabilitation and in 11 UVH elderly and 12 UVH subjects suffering from MCI undergoing a home-based HMD + vestibular rehabilitation protocol. RESULTS: Although the within-subjects analysis found in all groups a significant (p < 0.05) improvement in posturography parameters and dizziness-related and quality of life scores and no changes in VOR gain, implementation of HMD demonstrated a significant (p < 0.05) increase in post-treatment between-group comparisons in the same tests and VOR gain with respect to those older adults and participants with MCI only undergoing vestibular rehabilitation. Positive correlations were discovered between Mini-Mental Score Exam values and pre-/post-treatment differences in (i) power spectra values in the low-frequency interval (r = 0.72) and in (ii) Dynamic Gait Index scores (r = 0.76). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the implementation of a home-based virtual reality protocol may be a safe option in order to ameliorate VOR, postural control and the quality of life also in the vestibular impaired patients in whom the presence of cognitive decline could hinder the achievement of the goal of rehabilitation.

Long-term effects of vestibular rehabilitation and head-mounted gaming task procedure in unilateral vestibular hypofunction: a 12-month follow-up of a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE:: To investigate the long-term effects of adding virtual reality-based home exercises to vestibular rehabilitation in people with unilateral vestibular hypofunction. DESIGN:: Follow-up otoneurological examination in two randomized groups following a previous one-month trial. SETTING:: Tertiary rehabilitation center. SUBJECTS:: A total of 47 patients with unilateral vestibular hypofunction, one group ( n = 24) undergoing conventional vestibular rehabilitation and the other one ( n = 23) implementing, in addition, head-mounted gaming home exercises, 20 minutes per day for one month. INTERVENTIONS:: One year after completing rehabilitation, patients underwent testing with static posturography, video head impulse test, self-report questionnaires, and a performance measure. MAIN MEASURES:: Vestibulo-ocular reflex gain, posturographic parameters such as length, surface, and fast Fourier transform power spectra, self-report, and gait performance measure scores. RESULTS:: Vestibulo-ocular reflex gain was significantly better with respect to pretreatment in both groups. The mixed-method group showed significantly higher gain scores: mean (standard deviation (SD)) at 12 months was 0.71 (0.04), versus 0.64 (0.03) for the vestibular rehabilitation-only group ( P < 0.001). Accordingly, some classical posturography scores such as surface with eyes open and length with eyes closed and low-frequency power spectra were significantly different between groups, with the virtual reality group showing improvement ( P < 0.001). Self-report measures were significantly better in both groups compared to pretreatment, with significant improvement in the mixed-method group as compared to conventional rehabilitation alone: Dizziness Handicap Inventory mean total score was 24.34 (2.8) versus 35.73 (5.88) with a P-value <0.001. CONCLUSION:: Results suggest that head-mounted gaming home exercises are a viable, effective, additional measure to improve long-term vestibular rehabilitation outcomes.

Gradient impact of cognitive decline in unilateral vestibular hypofunction after rehabilitation: preliminary findings.

PURPOSE: Considering recent advances in central cognitive- and age-related processing interfering with balance and sensory reweighting in uncompensated vestibular disorders, purpose of this study is to highlight the vestibular rehabilitation (VR) outcomes in a population of older adults and age-matched mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients, both affected by unilateral vestibular hypofunction (UVH) and undergoing VR. METHODS: Vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), postural sway examination (respectively, performed by video head impulse test and static posturography) and dizziness-related and quality-of-life scores were collected in 12 UVH MCI individuals ≥ 55 years and 12 matched UVH older adults with age-appropriate cognitive function-cognitively evaluated by means of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-before and after a VR protocol. RESULTS: A significant post-treatment reduction in surface, length and power spectra (PS) values within low-frequency domain and an improvement in performance measures were recorded in both groups. Moreover, the VR protocol highlighted-when comparing pre-/post-treatment differences (Δ)-a significant (i) increase in Δ VOR gain; (ii) decrease in Δ surface and length and (iii) increase in Δ PS within low-frequency domain in older adults when compared to MCI patients. Positive correlations were found between MMSE and Δ Dynamic Gait Index, Δ surface and Δ PS within low-frequency domain when treating patients as 'a continuum' along the cognitive decline. CONCLUSIONS: Present pilot findings suggest that the cognitive domain insight in older adults scheduled for VR protocols may positively impact on disability consequences.

Degree of Functional Impairment Associated With Vestibular Hypofunction Among Older Adults With Cognitive Decline.

OBJECTIVE: Considering the altered multisensory signal compensation during senescence, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the integration rearrangements in unilateral vestibular hypofunction (UVH) during age-related cognitive decline. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Longitudinal cohort study unit and of University tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Older UVH individuals ≥ 55 years with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer Disease (AD) and matched UVH control group with age-appropriate cognitive function. INTERVENTION: Vestibulo-ocular reflex, postural sway examination (respectively performed by means of video head impulse test and static posturography), and dizziness-related and quality of life scores were collected in all three groups of UVH patients cognitively evaluated by means of Mini Mental State Examination and Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-cog). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Vestibulo-ocular reflex gain, length, surface, and spectral values of body oscillation were measured. Dizziness Handicap Inventory, Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale, and Dynamic Gait Index scores were collected. RESULTS: A significant (p < 0.05) increase in surface and length values during both eyes closed and eyes open conditions was found when comparing scores for AD to both MCI and control group patients, respectively. These patients demonstrated significantly (p < 0.05) lower spectral values of body oscillation on posturography platform in both eyes closed and eyes open condition within the low-frequency interval than MCI and AD patients. CONCLUSION: This is the first study reporting an association between cognitive decline and posturography parameters with possible preventive clinical implications in evaluating the risk for falls in high-risk patients, such as older adults with common neuro-otological disorders.

Three-dimensional head-mounted gaming task procedure maximizes effects of vestibular rehabilitation in unilateral vestibular hypofunction: a randomized controlled pilot trial.

Considering the emerging advantages related to virtual reality implementation in clinical rehabilitation, the aim of the present study was to discover possible (i) improvements achievable in unilateral vestibular hypofunction patients using a self-assessed head-mounted device (HMD)-based gaming procedure when combined with a classical vestibular rehabilitation protocol (HMD group) as compared with a group undergoing only vestibular rehabilitation and (ii) HMD procedure-related side effects. Therefore, 24 vestibular rehabilitation and 23-matched HMD unilateral vestibular hypofunction individuals simultaneously underwent a 4-week rehabilitation protocol. Both otoneurological measures (vestibulo-ocular reflex gain and postural arrangement by studying both posturography parameters and spectral values of body oscillation) and performance and self-report measures (Italian Dizziness Handicap Inventory; Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale; Zung Instrument for Anxiety Disorders, Dynamic Gait Index; and Simulator Sickness Questionnaire) were analyzed by means of a between-group/within-subject analysis of variance model. A significant post-treatment between-effect was found, and the HMD group demonstrated an overall improvement in vestibulo-ocular reflex gain on the lesional side, in posturography parameters, in low-frequency spectral domain, as well as in Italian Dizziness Handicap Inventory and Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale scores. Meanwhile, Simulator Sickness Questionnaire scores demonstrated a significant reduction in symptoms related to experimental home-based gaming tasks during the HMD procedure. Our findings revealed the possible advantages of HMD implementation in vestibular rehabilitation, suggesting it as an innovative, self-assessed, low-cost, and compliant tool useful in maximizing vestibular rehabilitation outcomes.