Effect of Vestibular Adaptation Exercises on Chronic Motion Sensitivity

<p>Dizziness is one of the most common complaints reported to primary care physicians. It is often associated with vestibular dysfunction and typically impacts postural stability. Motion sickness, or motion sensitivity, is stimulated by abnormal spatial orientation and is a common symptom related to dizziness and postural instability. The main cause of the motion sensitivity is aberrant sensory input from the visual, vestibular and somatosensory systems. The aim of this study was to measure the effect of vestibular adaptation exercises on postural stability in young healthy adults with subjective awareness of chronic motion sensitivity.</p> <p><strong>Methods</strong>: Fifty healthy male and female participants between 20 to 40 years of age with chronic motion sensitivity were randomly assigned to either an experimental or control group. Postural stability measurements were taken at baseline and after 6 weeks using computerized dynamic posturography with immersion virtual reality. The experimental group performed daily vestibular adaptation exercises for 6 weeks.</p> <p><strong>Results</strong>. There was no significant difference between the two groups at baseline in terms of mean age, height, weight, BMI or baseline postural stability scores (p>0.05). Significant differences in mean postural stability scores were observed post intervention in both groups but larger improvements were detected in the experimental group (p=0.002).</p> <p><strong>Conclusions</strong>: Minimal dosage of vestibular adaptation exercises improved postural stability in younger adults with chronic motion sensitivity. Additionally, familiarity of the testing environment during post-test measurements may have contributed to improvements in the control group over time; however, changes were greater in the experimental group.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Science (DSc)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Physical Therapy

Year

2015

Author dc:creator

• Alyahya, Danah

Contributors dc:contributor

• Johnson, Eric
• Cordett, Tim
• Daher, Noha S.
• Zidek, Lisa

• Medicine and Health Sciences
• Physical Therapy
• Rehabilitation and Therapy
• Vestibular Diseases -- Rehabilitation; Vestibular Function Tests; Reflex - Vestibulo-Ocular; Postural Balance; Peripheral Nervous System; Physical Therapy Modalities
• Dizziness; Vestibular dysfunction; Postural stability; Motion sickness; Motion sensitivity

Statement dc:rights

• This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/321

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarsrepository.llu.edu:etd-1318