Feasibility of virtual reality and treadmill training in traumatic brain injury: a randomized controlled pilot trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of treadmill training with virtual reality compared to treadmill training alone and standard of care balance and mobility treatment in chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI). PARTICIPANTS AND DESIGN: Thirty-one individuals with chronic TBI with self-reported and objective balance deficits participated in a 4-week 12 session intervention of treadmill training with virtual reality, treadmill training alone, or standard of care overground therapy. OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary measures included recruitment and enrollment rates, retention, tolerance to intervention, completeness of outcome measures, and adverse events. Secondary measures included the Community Balance and Mobility Scale, 10 Meter Walk Test, 6 Minute Walk Test, and Timed Up and Go. RESULTS: No serious adverse events were reported. All participants completed all training sessions and assessments at all time points. Recruitment, enrollment, and retention rates were high. All groups showed a trend toward improvement in all balance and mobility measures following treatment. CONCLUSION: Virtual reality and treadmill training are safe and feasibile for individuals with TBI. Participants show improvements on balance and mobility measures following a 4-week intervention. Future research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of this intervention compared to other modes of balance and mobility training.

Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation and Gait Training in Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pilot Study.

Rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) has been well researched with stroke survivors and individuals who have Parkinson's disease, but little research exists on RAS with people who have experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI). This pilot study aimed to (1) assess the feasibility of the study design and (2) explore potential benefits. This single-arm clinical trial included 10 participants who had a 2-week control period between baseline and pretreatment. Participants had RAS daily for a 2-week treatment period and immediately completed post-treatment assessments. Participants then had a 1-week control period and completed follow-up assessment. The starting cadence was evaluated each day of the intervention period due to the variation in daily functioning in this population. All 10 participants were 1-20 years post-TBI with notable deviations in spatial-temporal aspects of gait including decreased velocity, step symmetry, and cadence. All participants had a high risk of falling as defined by achieving less than 22 on the Functional Gait Assessment (FGA). The outcome measures included the 10-m walk test, spatial and temporal gait parameters, FGA, and Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale. There were no adverse events during the study and gait parameters improved. After the intervention, half of the participants achieved a score of more than 22 on the FGA, indicating that they were no longer at high risk of experiencing falls.

Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial to Address Balance Deficits After Traumatic Brain Injury.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of an in-home 12-week physical therapy (PT) intervention that utilized a virtual reality (VR) gaming system to improve balance in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). SETTING: Home-based exercise program (HEP). PARTICIPANTS: Individuals (N=63; traditional HEP n=32; VR n=31) at least 1 year post-TBI, ambulating independently within the home, not currently receiving PT services. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary: Community Balance and Mobility Scale (CB&M); Secondary: Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest), Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC), Participation Assessment with Recombined Tools-Objective (PART-O). RESULTS: No significant between-group differences were observed in the CB&M over the study duration (P=.9983) for individuals who received VR compared to those who received a HEP to address balance deficits after chronic TBI nor in any of the secondary outcomes: BESTest (P=.8822); ABC (P=.4343) and PART-O (P=.8822). However, both groups demonstrated significant improvements in CB&M and BESTest from baseline to 6, 12, and at 12 weeks follow-up (all P's <.001). Regardless of treatment group, 52% of participants met or exceeded the minimal detectable change of 8 points on the CB&M at 24 weeks and 38% met or exceeded the minimal detectable change of 7.81 points on the BESTest. CONCLUSION: This study did not find that VR training was more beneficial than a traditional HEP for improving balance. However, individuals with chronic TBI in both treatment groups demonstrated improvements in balance in response to these interventions which were completed independently in the home environment.

Balance in chronic traumatic brain injury: correlations between clinical measures and a self-report measure.

OBJECTIVE: To assess associations among commonly used self-report and clinical measures of balance in chronic TBI. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of balance in a convenience sample of individuals at least one year post TBI. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC) (self-reported balance impairment), Community Balance and Mobility Scale (CB&M) (clinical measure validated in TBI), and Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) (clinical measure not validated in TBI). METHODS: Fifty-nine individuals (64% male, mean age 48.2 years) ambulating independently within the home participated in testing. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to quantify the direction and magnitude of the relationships among the three balance impairment measures. RESULTS: A significant positive correlation was noted between the ABC and CB&M (r = 0.42, p = 0.0008), between the ABC and BESTest (r = 0.46, p = 0.0002), and between the CB&M and BESTest (r = 0.86, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study we are aware of in the chronic moderate to severe TBI population directly comparing patient's self-reported balance impairment with clinical measures. Positive correlations were found between the self-report measure and both clinical measures. Overall, individuals with chronic TBI tend to self-report less impaired balance than clinical measures indicate. These results provide preliminary evidence to support the need for validation of the BESTest in this population. ABBREVIATIONS: ABC: Activities-specific balance confidence scale; BESTest: balance evaluation systems test; BOS: base of support; COM: center of mass; CB&M: community balance and mobility scale; CI: confidence interval; IQR: interquartile range; PTs: physical therapists; SD: standard deviation; SE: standard error; TBI: traumatic brain injury.

Initial Outcomes from a Multicenter Study Utilizing the Indego Powered Exoskeleton in Spinal Cord Injury.

Objective: To assess safety and mobility outcomes utilizing the Indego powered exoskeleton in indoor and outdoor walking conditions with individuals previously diagnosed with a spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods: We conducted a multicenter prospective observational cohort study in outpatient clinics associated with 5 rehabilitation hospitals. A convenience sample of nonambulatory individuals with SCI (N = 32) completed an 8-week training protocol consisting of walking training 3 times per week utilizing the Indego powered exoskeleton in indoor and outdoor conditions. Participants were also trained in donning/doffing the exoskeleton during each session. Safety measures such as adverse events (AEs) were monitored and reported. Time and independence with donning/doffing the exoskeleton as well as walking outcomes to include the 10-meter walk test (10MWT), 6-minute walk test (6MWT), Timed Up & Go test (TUG), and 600-meter walk test were evaluated from midpoint to final evaluations. Results: All 32 participants completed the training protocol with limited device-related AEs, which resulted in no interruption in training. The majority of participants in this trial were able to don and doff the Indego independently. Final walking speed ranged from 0.19 to 0.55 m/s. Final average indoor and outdoor walking speeds among all participants were 0.37 m/s (SD = 0.08, 0.09, respectively), after 8 weeks of training. Significant (p < .05) improvements were noted between midpoint and final gait speeds in both indoor and outdoor conditions. Average walking endurance also improved among participants after training. Conclusion: The Indego was shown to be safe for providing upright mobility to 32 individuals with SCIs who were nonambulatory. Improvements in speed and independence were noted with walking in indoor and outdoor conditions as well as with donning/doffing the exoskeleton.

Outcome Measures for Persons With Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Recommendations From the American Physical Therapy Association Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy TBI EDGE Task Force.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The use of standardized outcome measures (OMs) is essential in assessing the effectiveness of physical therapy (PT) interventions. The purposes of this article are (1) to describe the process used by the TBI EDGE task force to assess the psychometrics and clinical utility of OMs used with individuals with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI); (2) to describe the consensus recommendations for OM use in clinical practice, research, and professional (entry-level) PT education; and (3) to make recommendations for future work. METHODS: An 8-member task force used a modified Delphi process to develop recommendations on the selection of OMs for individuals with TBI. A 4-point rating scale was used to make recommendations based on practice setting and level of ambulation. Recommendations for appropriateness for research use and inclusion in entry-level education were also provided. RESULTS: The TBI EDGE task force reviewed 88 OMs across the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) domains: 15 measured body functions/structure only, 21 measured activity only, 23 measured participation only, and 29 OMs covered more than 1 ICF domain. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Recommendations made by the TBI EDGE task force provide clinicians, researchers, and educators with guidance for the selection of OMs. The use of these recommendations may facilitate identification of appropriate OMs in the population with moderate to severe TBI. TBI EDGE task force recommendations can be used by clinicians, researchers, and educators when selecting OMs for their respective needs. Future efforts to update the recommendations are warranted in order to ensure that recommendations remain current and applicable.Video Abstract available for more insights from the authors (see Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A140).

Two approaches to manual wheelchair configuration and effects on function for individuals with acquired brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether manual wheelchair configuration impacts how well a person who has acquired brain injury (ABI) related hemiparesis performs functional tasks from his or her wheelchair. DESIGN: Multi-treatment cross-over design. SETTING: Inpatient rehabilitation hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Nineteen patients with ABI resulting in hemiparesis undergoing inpatient rehabilitation (average of 75 days post-injury (± 29.2 days); age range, 21-64; 9 with mechanical brain injury, 10 with cerebral vascular accident). INTERVENTIONS: Participants in the study were placed in two different wheelchair configurations (position one and position two) and were randomized as to which position they were placed in first. All outcome measures were taken twice on each individual within each wheelchair configuration during two consecutive days. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Timed Forward Wheeling (TFW), Modified Functional Reach test (MFR), Visual Analogue Scale for Comfort (VAS), transfer score from the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), measurement of popliteal fossa to front of cushion. RESULTS: The position two seating group's TFW was significantly faster than the position one seating group at both time points. There were no significant differences in the MFR scores, VAS comfort scale scores, and FIM transfer score between the two groups. CONCLUSION: A wheelchair configuration with no seat slope, solid backrest mounted at 95 degree (± 3 degrees) seat to back angle, and use of a solid seat insert with a flat foam cushion (position two) results in greater efficiency in foot propulsion for individuals with ABI than a wheelchair configuration with one inch of seat slope, solid backrest mounted at 105 degree (± 3 degrees) seat to back angle, and no solid seat insert with a gel/foam contoured cushion (position 1).

Virtual reality-based therapy for the treatment of balance deficits in patients receiving inpatient rehabilitation for traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of utilizing a commercially available virtual reality gaming system as a treatment intervention for balance training. DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial in which assessment and analysis were blinded. SETTING: An inpatient rehabilitation facility. INTERVENTION: Interventions included balance-based physical therapy using a Nintendo Wii, as monitored by a physical therapist, and receipt of one-on-one balance-based physical therapy using standard physical therapy modalities available for use in the therapy gym. RESULTS: Participants in the standard physical therapy group were found to have slightly higher enjoyment at mid-intervention, while those receiving the virtual reality-based balance intervention were found to have higher enjoyment at study completion. Both groups demonstrated improved static and dynamic balance over the course of the study, with no significant differences between groups. Correlational analyses suggest a relationship exists between Wii balance board game scores and BBS scores for measures taken beyond the baseline assessment. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a modest level of evidence to support using commercially available VR gaming systems for the treatment of balance deficits in patients with a primary diagnosis of TBI receiving inpatient rehabilitation. Additional research of these types of interventions for the treatment of balance deficits is warranted.