ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Whiplash associated syndrome is one of the neck disorders that is accompanied by several chronic symptoms. Balancing problems arising from common disorders and dizziness are considered as manifestations that are time-consuming to evaluate and treat. The present study aims to investigate the effect of vestibular-balance rehabilitation using a test that can be used for differential diagnosis of these lesions by comparing dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) and Smooth Pursuit Neck Torsion (SPNT) scores. METHOD: This was an analytical cross-sectional study with a two-stage design. Forty patients with whiplash-associated disorders were randomly divided into control and intervention groups. SPNT test and DHI evaluation were performed for both groups. For twenty people selected randomly in the intervention group, vestibular-balance rehabilitation was performed during 12 sessions. Finally, the SPNT and DHI tests were performed again to examine and compare the results. RESULTS: The results of this study showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the scores of smooth pursuit neck torsion gain in the SPNT test, the total score of DHI, the functional components of this questionnaire between the control and intervention groups after the implementation of the rehabilitation, and the differences in the physical, functional, and emotional components of the questionnaires of the control and intervention groups after rehabilitation exercises. CONCLUSION: Vestibular-balance rehabilitation exercises can be an effective treatment for dizziness and improving the quality of life of a person suffering from whiplash-associated disorder, followed by the reduction in dizziness caused by disability.
Subject(s)
Disability Evaluation , Dizziness/rehabilitation , Exercise Therapy/methods , Vestibular Diseases/rehabilitation , Whiplash Injuries/complications , Adult , Cross-Sectional Studies , Dizziness/etiology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Postural Balance/physiology , Prognosis , Treatment Outcome , Vestibular Diseases/etiology , Vestibular Function Tests , Whiplash Injuries/diagnosisABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Cervical spine abnormalities can affect the ear vessels and or nerves with different mechanisms. Ear dysfunctions following cervical spine injuries can be manifested as hearing loss, vertigo, or tinnitus. Usually, cervical spine injuries can cause pain and Range of Motion (ROM) limitation. The major objective of this study was to determine which cervical ROM limitation was accompanied with higher level of hearing loss. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 42 volunteers (20 women and 22 men) with cervical spine injury and pain participated after giving their informed consent. Audiometry, tympanometry, and pure-tone threshold of individuals were taken in frequencies from 250 to 8000 Hz in all cases. The ROM limitation in flexion, extension and rotation was recorded. RESULTS: About 53% of participants had bilateral hearing loss. In 40.48% (n=17) of cases, rotation to the left was limited. Flexion and extension motion were restricted on 23.8% (n=10) and 30.95% (n=13) of the participants, respectively. There was no statistically significant relationship between sex and hearing loss but a significant correlation was observed between hearing loss and ROM limitation of rotation to the left in men. CONCLUSION: According to the present study, the likelihood of hearing loss was high in patients with cervical left rotation limitation, and that the incidence of hearing loss following the cervical spine injuries was more in men. It seems that left Rotation limitation can be used as a predictor to diagnosis of hearing impairment following the cervical spine injuries (especially in men).