Article

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of a balance rehabilitation treatment by using
both a powered platform on which subjects stand and specific physical exercises
(EXs). DESIGN: Crossover trial. SETTING: Physical and rehabilitation medicine
department in Italy. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=33) with balance disorders (14
vestibular origin, 19 peripheral neuropathy origin). INTERVENTIONS: Patients
underwent powered platform then EX treatment (n=17); the other 16 received the
same treatments in reverse order. powered platform consisted of balancing on a
sinusoidally oscillating powered platform (in anteroposterior and laterolateral
directions in separate trials) with eyes open and closed. A physical therapist
administered Cawthorne-Cooksey EXs for patients with vestibular disorders and
modified Frenkel EXs for patients with neuropathy. Treatment lasted 1 hour a day
for 10 consecutive days, except for the weekend. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Body sway
area, subjective score of stability, balance and gait scores, and amplitude of
head displacement while balancing on the oscillating powered platform were
recorded before, (t0) after the first (t1), and after the second treatment (t2),
regardless of the powered platform or EX order. RESULTS: On average, all
participants improved balance regardless of the order of treatments, and more so
at t2 than t1. Improvement was observed by using instrumental evaluations and
balance and gait scales. In both patient groups, powered platform treatment
proved to be as effective as EX in improving balance. This effect was stronger in
patients with vestibular disorders, independently of order of treatment.
CONCLUSIONS: Balance rehabilitation with either EX or powered platform is
effective in patients with balance disorders of vestibular or neuropathic origin.
These findings point to the value of either or both physical EXs and powered
platform in increasing stability and potentially decrease the risk of falling in
patients with neuropathy, for whom few results are documented in the literature.
CI - Copyright (c) 2010 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS