EFFECT OF VESTIBULAR REHABILITATION ON CHANGE IN HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH DIZZINESS AND BALANCE PROBLEMS AFTER TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

OBJECTIVE: Secondary analysis, testing the effect on change in health-related quality of life of group-based vestibular rehabilitation in patients with mild-moderate traumatic brain injury, dizziness and balance problems. DESIGN: A single-blind randomized controlled trial. SUBJECTS: A total of 65 patients aged 16–60 years with a Rivermead Post-concussion Symptoms Questionnaire dizziness score ≥2, and DizzinessHandicap Inventory score >15 points. Data collection was performed at baseline 3.5 (standard deviation (SD) 2.1) months post-injury, end of intervention, and 4.4 (SD 1.0) months after baseline. METHODS: Quality of Life after Brain Injury was the main outcome. Independent variables were demographic and injury variables, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, changes on the Rivermead Post-concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ3 physical and RPQ13 psychological/cognitive), and Vertigo Symptom Scale-Short Form. RESULTS: Mean age of participants was 39.4 years (SD 13.0); 70.3% women. Predictors of change inthe Quality of Life after Brain Injury were receiving the vestibular rehabilitation (p =0.049), baseline psychological distress (p =0.020), and changein RPQ3 physical (p =0.047) and RPQ13 psychological/cognitive (p =0.047). Adjusted R2 was 0.399,F=6.13, p < 0.001. CONCLUSION: There was an effect in favour of the intervention group in improvement in health-related quality of life. Changes on the Rivermead Post-concussion Symptoms Questionnaire were also associated with change on the Quality of Life after Brain Injury.