Is customized vestibular rehabilitation effective in patients with Parkinson's?

Background: Patients with Parkinson's disease complain about restrictions in their daily life activities and impairment in their mobility and balance.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of vestibular rehabilitation on functioning, quality of life, balance, and postural stability in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Methods: The patients with Parkinson's disease divided into a rehabilitation group (Group 1, n: 29) and a control group(Group 2, n: 11). All patients were evaluated before and after eight weeks of customized vestibular rehabilitation for motor score (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale); quality of life (Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39); balance (Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale [ABC], Timed Up and Go Test, Dynamic Gait Index [DGI], and Berg Balance Scale [BBS]); and postural stability (Modified Clinical Test for Sensory Interaction on Balance [mCTSIB].

Results: There were significant differences in the pre- and post-exercise ABC, BBS, and DGI scores in Group 1 (p <  0.05). A statistically significant impairment was observed in mCTSIB (firm and foam eyes closed [EC]) in the control group (p <  0.05). There were no significant intergroup differences in any of the parameters evaluated (p >  0.05).

Conclusions: In this study, vestibular rehabilitation was found to be effective for improving balance in patients with Parkinson's disease.