Impact of lian gong on the quality of life of individuals with dizziness in primary care

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of the lian gong practice as a rehabilitation strategy in primary health care on the quality of life and functional capacity of people with dizziness. METHODS: Randomized controlled clinical trial. Thirty-six people, who were complaining of dizziness or vertigo without the presence of central signs and were referred by the physician of primary health care participated in the study. The individuals were randomly allocated to the three experimental conditions: lian gong group (n = 11), vestibular rehabilitation group (n = 11) and control group (n = 14). The interventions were weekly, in group, with duration of 12 sessions. The participants were evaluated before and after the intervention regarding quality of life by the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey and the functional capacity by the Short Physical Performance Battery. RESULTS: The scores of all domains of the Short Form Health Survey increased after intervention in the lian gong group. This variation was higher than that observed in the control group for the domains functional capacity, limitation by physical aspects and general health status, and also higher than that found after the intervention in the Vestibular Rehabilitation Group regarding pain. No differences were found in the Short Physical Performance Battery. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results presented, lian gong improves the quality of life of individuals with dizziness, without altering the functional capacity.