The impact of vibrotactile feedback of the gravity vector, provided by a “balance” belt worn around the waist, was evaluated in 39 patients with a severe bilateral vestibular loss, confirmed by extensive laboratory testing and suffering from a low quality of life, mainly due to imbalance. The mobility and balance score (MBS) of all patients prior to the use of the belt was equal or less than 5 out of a scale of 10. Thirty-one out of the 39 patients experienced the effect of the belt on their balance and mobility as positive in a preselection trial of 2 h in the hospital. The 31 positive responders then used the belt for 1 month in daily life. The average MBS increased significantly from 4.2 to 7.9 (paired T test, T = 9.82, p < 0.00001). Twenty-three out of 31 patients reported a benefit ranging from an improvement of 60–200% in their MBS. Eight patients did not experience any benefit. In summary, 23 out of 39 patients with a severe imbalance due to a bilateral vestibular loss experienced a clear benefit of vibrotactile feed = back in daily life. We conclude that vibrotactile feedback via the waist can serve as an effective prothesis for patients with severe bilateral vestibular loss to improve the quality of life.

BACKGROUND: The Internet has become a powerful, accessible resource for many patients to use for their own medical management and knowledge. Vestibular disorders affect all genders and ages with the odds increasing significantly with the years. As th

Virtual Reality is cogitated as one of the most favorable and challenging technologies applied in health sciences. Its use has been integrated in vestibular rehabilitation for the management of balance conditions, founded on mechanisms related to neuronal plasticity of the central nervous system. Dizziness is one of the most common symptoms after a concussion in sports and can be an issue related to a long return to play. Virtual reality may be a beneficial method for rehabilitation for athletes with dizziness after concussion. However, no studies have critically reviewed the scientific evidence in this regard. The objective was to conduct a systematic review on the effectiveness of virtual reality as a rehabilitation strategy for athletes after a concussion. A systematic review of the electronic databases Cochrane Collection, Consumer Health Complete, Oxford Journals, PubMed, Science Direct, and SPORTDiscus was conducted to identify studies related to the effect of virtual reality after a concussion in athletes. The search timeframe ranged from January 1990 to December 2019. The search resulted in the identification of 3 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 7 non-RCT studies. None of the studies were specific associated with athletes with dizziness after a concussion. Specific studies are necessary to establish the application that may respond optimally to the treatment of concussions associated with balance problems.

The broad range of vestibular tests used to diagnose labyrinth diseases allows for a functional assessment of the vestibular system. Among the many tests performed, the caloric test is considered the gold standard by providing an objective measurement of the vestibular function for each labyrinth. to correlate the different types of dizziness with the caloric test result. a descriptive study was performed based on the previous records of vestibular tests performed on patients with body balance disorders evaluated at Audiology Service between 2000 and 2020. The variables evaluated were sex, age, hearing loss, tinnitus, and caloric test result. the sample was composed of 892 patients, 654 (73.4%) women, and 238 (26.6%) men. Normal results were obtained for 57.4% (N = 514) of the individuals, while peripheral disease 40.1% (N = 357), and central disease 2.5% (N = 21) accounted for the remaining. Complaint of vertigo was not common in central disorders (P = .02; OR = 0.17) and instability was associated with bilateral vestibular weakness (P = 0.02; OR = 5.92). Vertigo associated with tinnitus and/or hearing loss was more frequent in the caloric test with peripheral abnormality (P = 0.008). complaints of vertigo associated with tinnitus and/or hearing loss must be directed for clinical observation of unilateral peripheral lesion and instability to central disease or bilateral peripheral lesion.

The caloric test is a well-known valuable clinical instrument that can evaluate and quantify the functional status of both lateral semicircular canals. The American National Standard Institute (ANSI) does not include air as a standard method for caloric stimulation due the lack of published data to determine response variability comparable to water. Due the controversy about air irrigators, it is worthwhile to evaluate the presence of differences between the two irrigation methods in caloric response. The goal is to compare, by age group, the post caloric responses with water and air according gender and age. Individuals without otoneurologic complaints were selected and divided in groups. All were submitted to caloric bithermal stimulation with water at temperatures of 44°C and 30°C (Micromedical Technologies, Inc., USA) and air at temperatures of 50°C and 24°C (Micromedical Technologies, Inc., USA). 91 subjects were evaluated (46 men and 45 women) with a mean age of 43 years old. The caloric response was similar between genders (P=0,958) and no statistical difference was observed comparing both stimulus (P=0,93). It was identified that the Slow-Phase Velocity (SPV) was lower for the group older than 60 years comparing to the other groups. For the caloric test, the stimulus with air was confirmed as similar as stimulation with water, including absolute values. Lower values for SPV were found for elderly population.