Effect of vestibular rehabilitation on change in health-related quality of life in patients with dizziness and balance problems after traumatic brain injury: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objective: Secondary analysis, testing the effect on change in health-related quality of life of group-based vestibular rehabilitation in patients with mild-moderate traumatic brain injury, dizziness and balance problems. Design: A single-blind randomized controlled trial. Subjects: A total of 65 patients aged 16.60 years with a Rivermead Post-concussion Symptoms Questionnaire dizziness score ≥ 2, and Dizziness Handicap Inventory score > 15 points. Data collection was performed at baseline 3.5 (standard deviation (SD) 2.1) months post-injury, end of intervention, and 4.4 (SD 1.0) months after baseline. Methods: Quality of Life after Brain Injury was the main outcome. Independent variables were demographic and injury variables, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, changes on the Rivermead Postconcussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ3 physical and RPQ13 psychological/cognitive), and Vertigo Symptom Scale-Short Form. Results: Mean age of participants was 39.4 years (SD 13.0); 70.3% women. Predictors of change in the Quality of Life after Brain Injury were receiving the vestibular rehabilitation (p = 0.049), baseline psychological distress (p = 0.020), and change in RPQ3 physical (p = 0.047) and RPQ13 psychological/cognitive (p = 0.047). Adjusted R2 was 0.399, F=6.13, p < 0.001. Conclusion: There was an effect in favour of the intervention group in improvement in health-related quality of life. Changes on the Rivermead Post-concussion Symptoms Questionnaire were also associated with change on the Quality of Life after Brain Injury.