Mild traumatic brain injury recovery: a qualitative study of noise sensitivity, vestibular issues and anxiety interactions

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a common public health issue, and a substantial minority of individuals experience persistent symptoms that disrupt everyday functioning. Although vestibular symptoms, noise sensitivity and anxiety are each recognised following mTBI, little is known about how people make sense of these symptom experiences or perceive their interaction during recovery.

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No immediate practice change warranted, but clinicians managing mTBI patients should be alert to how noise sensitivity, vestibular complaints, and anxiety reinforce each other, suggesting value in coordinated multi-disciplinary care.

Audiology is directly implicated in mTBI recovery through noise sensitivity and vestibular dysfunction, and this study highlights the need for audiologists to consider psychological co-morbidities when managing post-concussion patients.

1. 01Qualitative study in Brain Impairment using patient interviews about mTBI recovery.
2. 02Noise sensitivity, vestibular dysfunction, and anxiety were found to interact and potentially amplify one another.
3. 03Findings suggest a cyclical relationship between sensory and psychological symptoms post-mTBI.
4. 04Purely qualitative design; no objective audiometric or vestibular measurements reported.
5. 05Implications for multi-disciplinary management of mTBI including audiology involvement.

PMID

42586573

DOI

10.1071/IB25095.

Journal

Brain Impairment

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

4

Population

Adults recovering from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)

Intervention

Qualitative interviews exploring subjective experience of noise sensitivity, vestibular issues, and anxiety during mTBI recovery