Resolution of Vertigo and Balance Disorder of 15 years duration with Reception Based and Brain Based Rehabilitation
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1
Illinois Neuro and Physical Rehab, United States
Background:
A 60-year-old male patient presented to the functional neurology clinic with complaints of severe
vertigo occurring intermittently for the past 15 years. He experienced associated symptoms
such as depression, unsteadiness, lightheadedness, changes in vision, and changes in hearing.
He described the vertigo as a feeling of the room around him moving. The patient reported it
was very difficult for him to function in his daily life and experienced difficulty with various
activities including going to work, taking care of himself, household chores, traveling, and social
interactions.
Methods:
A neurological examination revealed a ptosis of the right eye and a soft nasolabial fold on the
right. An action tremor was present in the right hand along with a transient head tremor in the
horizontal plane. During gait, a left lateral pulsion was present. Grade 3 finger tap was present
on the right and Grade 1 on the left. Romberg’s demonstrated a left posterior sway.
Convergence spasm was present on the right. Saccadic intrusions present during horizontal
pursuits causing the right ptosis to increase. Finger to nose was slower on the right. Point
localization was decreased on the right. Computerized Posturography Results displayed
profoundly reduced balance with eyes open and closed on both flat and perturbed surface.
There was a significant reduction in balance with eyes closed and head turned to the right and
eyes closed with head in extension. A treatment plan was implemented that included gaze
stability exercises, nonlinear complex movements of the right upper and lower extremities,
rotational therapy, bead string therapy, and repetitive peripheral somatosensory stimulation of
the trigeminal nerve and gait protocol performed bilaterally.
Results:
The patient reported seeing significant improvement in vertigo, balance, and concentration
immediately following the initial visit continuing to improve throughout the next two weeks. He
was able to return to work with no reoccurrence of vertigo. Objective indicators in gaze holding,
horizontal and vertical pursuits, horizontal and vertical saccades, and horizontal optokinetics
showed considerable improvement over the course of treatment.
Conclusion:
A patient with severe vertigo finds significant relief through conservative neurological
rehabilitation. Further research is needed to investigate interventions involving brain-based
therapy for vertigo.
Keywords:
Veritgo,
Balance disorder,
Depression,
Neurorehabilitation,
Brain Based Rehabilitation
Conference:
International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience: Clinical Neuroscience for Optimization of Human Function, Orlando, United States, 7 Oct - 9 Oct, 2016.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Abstracts ISCN 2016
Citation:
Michalopoulos
G,
Drzewiecki
M,
Drzewiecki
C and
Imber
M
(2016). Resolution of Vertigo and Balance Disorder of 15 years duration with Reception Based and Brain Based Rehabilitation.
Front. Neurol.
Conference Abstract:
International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience: Clinical Neuroscience for Optimization of Human Function.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fneur.2016.59.00010
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Received:
19 Aug 2016;
Published Online:
07 Sep 2016.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. George Michalopoulos, Illinois Neuro and Physical Rehab, Wood Dale, Illinois, 60191, United States, illinoisneurology@gmail.com