Biomedical subjects

Kathryn E Brown

Publications and source records attributed to Kathryn E Brown.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Physical therapy for central vestibular dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if vestibular physical therapy (PT) leads to improved functional outcomes in people with central vestibular dysfunction. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SETTING: Outpatient PT clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-eight patients with central vestibular dysfunction met the criteria for inclusion in this retrospective chart review. The 48 patients were divided into various subgroups including central vestibulopathy, cerebellar dysfunction, stroke, mixed central and peripheral vestibulopathy, and posttraumatic central disorders. INTERVENTION: Patients were treated with a custom-designed PT program for a mean of 5 visits over an average of 5 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients completed the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale, the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), the Dynamic Gait Index, the Timed Up & Go test, and the Five Times Sit-to-Stand (FTSTS) Test. RESULTS: Significant differences were demonstrated between initial evaluation and discharge in each of the assessment measures for the entire group. Post hoc tests were performed to determine if there was a significant difference in any of the assessment measures by diagnosis. Central vestibular diagnostic subgroup was shown to affect pre- to postintervention differences in the functional and disability measures (P< or =.05). With the exception of the FTSTS, effect sizes of change due to PT intervention were greater in those persons with severe disability at baseline as determined by a DHI score of more than 60. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with central vestibular dysfunctions improved in both subjective and objective measures of balance after PT intervention. Persons with cerebellar dysfunction improved the least.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

Is perception of handicap related to functional performance in persons with vestibular dysfunction?

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine if scores between 0 and 30 (mild), 31 and 60 (moderate), and 61 and 100 (severe) on the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) differentiated a person's functional abilities. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SETTING: Tertiary balance outpatient center. PATIENTS: Patients (n = 85; mean age, 61 years) with a variety of vestibular diagnoses participated. INTERVENTIONS: Patients completed the DHI, the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI), the 5 times sit to stand test (FTSST), the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale, gait speed, and the Timed "Up & Go" (TUG) during the same session. Reported numbers of falls within the last 4 weeks were recorded. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The DGI, FTSST, ABC, gait speed, TUG, and gait speed were compared among DHI groups. RESULTS: Significant differences were identified using an analysis of variance between DHI groups on the DGI, the FTSST, ABC, and number of falls (p < 0.05). A significant difference was found between DHI groups (mild vs. severe and moderate vs. severe) on the DGI (p < 0.05) with greater DHI scores exhibiting more impaired walking. The FTSST was different between DHI groups mild and severe and DHI groups moderate and severe (p < 0.05), with slower FTSST scores with higher DHI scores. Reported falls were higher among the severe DHI group and the other 2 DHI groups (p < 0.05). All 3 DHI groupings were different from each other on the ABC (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients who perceive a greater handicap as a result of dizziness demonstrate greater functional impairment than patients who perceive less handicap from dizziness.

Adolescent↗