Vestibular Rehabilitation for Chronic Central Vestibular Deficits: A Case Study

The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of vestibular rehabilitation for an individual who has chronic central vestibular deficits due to cerebellar dysfunction. Due to the lack of treatment for chronic cerebellar dysfunction with Physical Therapy, the investigators hope to produce a protocol for chronic cerebellar dysfunction utilizing balance training, vestibular rehabilitation, or any other rehabilitation technique that may alleviate or eliminate symptoms.

The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of vestibular rehabilitation for an individual who has chronic central vestibular deficits due to cerebellar dysfunction. Due to the lack of treatment for chronic cerebellar dysfunction with Physical Therapy, the investigators hope to produce a protocol for chronic cerebellar dysfunction utilizing balance training, vestibular rehabilitation, or any other rehabilitation technique that may alleviate or eliminate symptoms. Investigators will test the subject initially at 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 6 months post start date to assess for symptom improvement.

standard vestibular rehabilitation with gaze stability, balance training, habituation tailored to the subject

Perceived self confidence with balance. 16 items are scored on a 0-100% scale. Items are totaled and then averaged. The higher the average score the higher the confidence with balance and the less likely risk there is for falling.

Perceived handicap from dizziness. Items are scored on a 0, 2 or 4 point scale with adding up the total number of the 26 items. The lower the score, the less perceived amount of handicap is present.

Gait and balance test. 10 item test rated on each item from 0-3. total score is calculated of 10 items. the higher the score the less likely risk for falling is present.

Motion sickness indicator. 16 items are scored based on symptom severity and duration. positive items are calculated together to receive a percentage. the lower the percentage the less motion sensitivity a person has.

balance test for sensory system inputs. 6 item test to check for sensory integration with balance. each of the 6 items is calculated for length of time and amount of sway. the less the sway, the lower the score and the better the balance.