Danah Alyahya

Abstract

Dizziness is one of the most common complaints reported to primary care physicians. It is often associated with vestibular dysfunction and typically impacts postural stability. Motion sickness, or motion sensitivity, is stimulated by abnormal spatial orientation and is a common symptom related to dizziness and postural instability. The main cause of the motion sensitivity is aberrant sensory input from the visual, vestibular and somatosensory systems. The aim of this study was to measure the effect of vestibular adaptation exercises on postural stability in young healthy adults with subjective awareness of chronic motion sensitivity.

Methods: Fifty healthy male and female participants between 20 to 40 years of age with chronic motion sensitivity were randomly assigned to either an experimental or control group. Postural stability measurements were taken at baseline and after 6 weeks using computerized dynamic posturography with immersion virtual reality. The experimental group performed daily vestibular adaptation exercises for 6 weeks.

Results. There was no significant difference between the two groups at baseline in terms of mean age, height, weight, BMI or baseline postural stability scores (p>0.05). Significant differences in mean postural stability scores were observed post intervention in both groups but larger improvements were detected in the experimental group (p=0.002).

Conclusions: Minimal dosage of vestibular adaptation exercises improved postural stability in younger adults with chronic motion sensitivity. Additionally, familiarity of the testing environment during post-test measurements may have contributed to improvements in the control group over time; however, changes were greater in the experimental group.

LLU Discipline

Physical Therapy

Department

Physical Therapy

School

School of Allied Health Professions

First Advisor

Johnson, Eric

Second Advisor

Cordett, Tim

Third Advisor

Daher, Noha S.

Fourth Advisor

Zidek, Lisa

Degree Name

Doctor of Science (DSc)

Degree Level

D.Sc.

Year Degree Awarded

2015

Date (Title Page)

12-2015

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Vestibular Diseases -- Rehabilitation; Vestibular Function Tests; Reflex - Vestibulo-Ocular; Postural Balance; Peripheral Nervous System; Physical Therapy Modalities

Subject - Local

Dizziness; Vestibular dysfunction; Postural stability; Motion sickness; Motion sensitivity

Type

Dissertation

Page Count

89

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

Download

Share

COinS