Reabilitação vestibular em pacientes com esclerose múltipla remitente-recorrente

Comparing the effect of Cawthorne-Cooksey and Frenkel exercises on balance in patients with multiple sclerosis: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effect of Cawthorne-Cooksey and Frenkel exercises on balance in patients with multiple sclerosis.

DESIGN

It was a three-arm parallel randomized controlled trial study.

SETTING

Outpatient clinic.

SUBJECTS

Patients with multiple sclerosis.

INTERVENTIONS

Subjects in the intervention groups completed a 12-week program consisted of Cawthorne-Cooksey or Frenkel exercises. The control group only received routine care.

MAIN MEASURES

The outcome measure was the Berg Balance Scale.

RESULTS

Seventy-two patients completed the study. At the end of the intervention, there was a statistically significant improvement in Berg Balance Scale in the Cawthorne-Cooksey group ( n = 24) in comparison with the other two groups ( P = 0.001). In the Frenkel group ( n = 23), the improvement was statistically greater than the changes in the control group ( n = 25), but it did not appear to be clinically significant. The Berg Balance Scale score increased to 8.9 in the Cawthorne-Cooksey group and 2.3 in the Frenkel group, while it decreased to 1.2 in the control group. When comparing inter-group changes, Berg Balance Scale showed significant improvements in favor of the Cawthorne-Cooksey group after the intervention ( P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that in comparison with Frenkel and the control groups, a program of Cawthorne-Cooksey exercise is more effective in improving balance in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Symptomatic treatment and management of multiple sclerosis

The range of symptoms which occur in multiple sclerosis (MS) can have disabling functional consequences for patients and lead to significant reductions in their quality of life. MS symptoms can also interact with each other, making their management challenging. Clinical trials aimed at identifying symptomatic therapies have generally been poorly designed and have tended to be underpowered. Therefore, the evidence base for the management of MS symptoms with pharmacologic therapies is not strong and tends to rely upon open-label studies, case reports, and clinical trials with small numbers of patients and poorly validated clinical outcome measures. Recently, there has been a growing interest in the management of MS symptoms with pharmacologic treatments, and better-designed, randomized, double-blind, controlled trials have been reported. This chapter will describe the evidence base predominantly behind the various pharmacologic approaches to the management of MS symptoms, which in most, if not all, cases, requires multidisciplinary input. Drugs routinely recommended for individual symptoms and new therapies, which are currently in the development pipeline, will be reviewed. More interventional therapies related to symptoms that are refractory to pharmacotherapy will also be discussed, where relevant.

Gait impairment and optimizing mobility in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated disease that causes demyelination and degeneration within the brain and spinal cord. This may result in many impairments, including impaired ambulation, muscle weakness, abnormal tone, visual disturbances, decreased sensation, and fatigue. Rehabilitation helps patients with MS maximize independence by helping to manage and minimize impairments. Deficits seen in ambulation should be addressed to improve energy efficiency and reduce falls. Compensation through appropriate prescription of assistive devices, bracing, and wheelchairs will help improve safety. Rehabilitation can make a significant impact on achieving and maintaining quality of life and independence.

Vestibular rehabilitation of older adults with dizziness

The role of rehabilitation for treatment of older adults with dizziness and balance disorders is reviewed. Theories related to functional recovery from peripheral and central vestibular disorders are presented. Suggestions on which older adults might benefit from vestibular rehabilitation therapy are presented. Promising innovative rehabilitation strategies and technologies that might enhance recovery of the older adult with balance dysfunction are discussed.

Vestibular rehabilitation: clinical benefits to patients with Parkinson's disease

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of the vestibular rehabilitation (VR) exercises by means of an assessment before and after the application of the Brazilian version of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) questionnaire. METHOD: Twelve patients were studied, the following procedures were carried out: anamnesis, otorhinolaryngological and vestibular evaluation, and the application of the DHI before and after the VR. RESULTS: Clinically resting tremors and subjective postural instability were the motor complaints most frequently associated with complaints of vertigo in 12 cases (100%); in the vestibular exam, all the patients presented abnormalities, frequently from the uni and bilateral peripheral vestibular deficiency syndromes in 10 cases (83.3%); there was significant improvement in the physical, functional and emotional aspects of the DHI after the completion of the VR. CONCLUSION: The VR following the Cawthorne and Cooksey protocol were shown to be useful in managing subjective complaints of several aspects evaluated in this protocol.