Klatt, Brooke
(2018)
THE EFFECT OF VIBROTACTILE FEEDBACK DURING BALANCE AND VESTIBULAR REHABILITATION ON FUNCTIONAL BALANCE OUTCOMES.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Purpose: Postural stability improvements have been observed using vibrotactile feedback (VTF), but the long-term functional benefits of training with VTF is unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of VTF on functional outcomes in people with chronic balance disorders immediately following balance training and at 6-months post-training. We also aimed to determine the amount of agreement between participant and physical therapist ratings of participant balance performance.
Participants: Twenty participants with chronic balance disorders between the ages of 21 to 80 years old (70% female, mean age 67 ± 10 years) were enrolled in the study. Three participants were diagnosed with bilateral vestibular hypofunction, nine with unilateral vestibular hypofunction, five with peripheral neuropathy, and three were older adults with balance disorders.
Methods: Eighteen participants completed a 6-week balance training program. Participants were randomized into either the control group (balance training alone) or the experimental group (balance training plus VTF). Group differences in functional balance outcome measures were analyzed using a repeated measures analysis of variance. Postural sway and balance performance ratings from the participant and the physical therapist were collected during training sessions. A quadratic weighted kappa analysis was conducted to investigate the agreement between the participant and physical therapist balance ratings. Regression was used to examine the association between postural sway and balance rating.
Results: The entire sample demonstrated significant improvements in the majority of the functional clinical outcomes following the balance training program, but there were not significant differences between the experimental and control groups. The repeated measures analysis did not indicate that the experimental group had faster improvements compared to the control group, and they did not maintain the improvements longer. Participant and physical therapist ratings had good agreement with quadratic weighted kappa correlation analysis.
Conclusion: The use of VTF during balance training did not improve functional outcomes compared to balance training alone in our small sample. Retention of improvements in functional outcomes following training were not maintained differently between the control and experimental groups at the six-month post-training assessment. Balance rating scales may be useful in determining balance exercise progression.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
| Creators | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
|---|
| Klatt, Brooke | | | |
|
| ETD Committee: |
| Title | Member | Email Address | Pitt Username | ORCID |
|---|
| Committee Chair | Whitney, Susan | | | | | Committee Member | Furman, Joseph | | | | | Committee Member | Sienko, Kathleen | | | | | Committee Member | Sparto, Patrick | | | |
|
| Date: |
10 January 2018 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
21 November 2017 |
| Approval Date: |
10 January 2018 |
| Submission Date: |
14 December 2017 |
| Access Restriction: |
5 year -- Restrict access to University of Pittsburgh for a period of 5 years. |
| Number of Pages: |
175 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences > Health and Rehabilitation Sciences |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
vestibular rehabilitation; balance; sensory augmentation; vibrotactile feedback |
| Date Deposited: |
10 Jan 2018 15:14 |
| Last Modified: |
10 Jan 2023 06:15 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/33625 |
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