Vestibular rehabilitation for dizziness and balance problems after mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injury

The purpose of this thesis was to study dizziness-related disability and to investigate the effect of a modified group-based vestibular rehabilitation intervention (VR) in patients with mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI). Dizziness-related disability was significantly predicted by pre-injury comorbidity and was associated with concurrent symptoms of vertigo, reduced performance on balance tests and psychological distress. Hence, dizziness-related disability is a complex phenomenon that includes several aspects seen from a biopsychosocial perspective. An eight-week modified group-based VR intervention improved dizziness-related disability and mobility more than the usual multidisciplinary TBI rehabilitation program at the post-intervention follow up. The intervention did not cause any adverse effects. These results indicate that a modified group-based VR intervention accelerates recovery and should be considered included as a component of multidisciplinary rehabilitation for patients with dizziness and balance problems after mild-to-moderate TBI