Significant Improvement in Severe Anxiety of 20 years Duration following Conservative Neurologic Rehabilitation program: A Case Study
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1
Illinois Neuro and Physical Rehab, United States
Background:
A 39 year-old-female presented to the functional neurology clinic with complaints of extreme
anxiety that she had been experiencing for 20 years. The anxiety caused headaches, significant
stress, internal tremors, lack of concentration and hair loss. The patient reported it was difficult
to function in her daily life often losing interest in things that used to be enjoyable and
experiencing bouts of depression, nausea, and weight-loss.
Methods:
A neurological examination revealed a hypertropia and ptosis of the left eye. She displayed a
left nasolabial fold softening and weakness in the left posterior canal. She had hypometric
saccades up and and to the right. Saccadic intrusions during horizontal pursuits were present.
Rapid alternating movements were decreased on the right. Heel-to-shin was dysmetric on the
right. Point localization was decreased on the right. During gait, she displayed a decreased left
arm awing and right posterior sway. Velocity storage was dampened on the right side. The
patient was diagnosed with a functional deficit of the right cerebellum and left cortex. A
treatment plan was implemented that included oxygen therapy, right complex movements on the
upper and lower extremities in counter phase, vibration therapy, gaze stability, repetitive
peripheral somatosensory stimulation of trigeminal nerve bilaterally/right median nerve, and
parasympathetic activation.
Results;
The patient reported significant improvement in her anxiety levels allowing other symptoms
experienced to be minimized. She also reported a decrease in headache and an increase in
her ability to relax which began immediately after the initial treatment. She was given at-home
therapies to perform which helped to significantly maintain the decrease in anxiety. Objective
indicators include an improvement in horizontal pursuits, increased velocity storage on the right
Conclusion:
We present a case of a patient with severe chronic anxiety treated with a multi-modal brainbased
treatment approach. The patient experienced a significant decrease in anxiety levels
within 12 visits. Further investigation is necessary to determine additional interventions that may
be utilized for treatment of chronic anxiety.
Keywords:
Anxiety,
Neurorehabilitation,
conservative treatment,
Depression,
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,
Imber
M and
Drzewiecki
C
(2016). Significant Improvement in Severe Anxiety of 20 years Duration following Conservative Neurologic Rehabilitation program: A Case Study.
Front. Neurol.
Conference Abstract:
International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience: Clinical Neuroscience for Optimization of Human Function.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fneur.2016.59.00021
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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