The effect of vestibular rehabilitation on dizziness and headache in patients with vestibular migraine

Abstract

Background and Aim: Vestibular rehabilitation is suggested as one of the effective treat-ments for vestibular-originated dizziness and vertigo. As there is a proven biologic link between vestibular symptoms and headache, headache improvement with vestibular improvement after vestibular rehabilitation is expected. The aim of the present study was examining vesti-bular rehabilitation effects on dizziness and headache in 9−15 year old subjects with a vestibu-lar migraine. Methods: Eight subjects with vestibular migraine were referred to Rofeideh Rehabilitation Hospital after diagnosis by a pediatric neurolo-gist. They were evaluated via dizziness handicap inventory (DHI), headache impact test-6 (HIT-6) and dizziness and headache frequency. Then they received a home-based vestibular rehabilitation and after one month they were ree-valuated. Results: After vestibular rehabilitation for one month, changes in the DHI and HIT-6 score were statistically significant (p < 0.01). In addition, reduction in the dizziness and headache frequency in a month was statistically significant. Conclusion: As vestibular rehabilitation has noticeable effects on dizziness and headache, this treatment is introduced as an effective and non-invasive treatment in children and adolescents with a vestibular migraine.