Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory, and degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Balance impairments are very common symptoms among people with MS (PwMS). Vestibular physical therapy (VPT) is an evidence-based approach aimed at managing and improving gaze and balance stability, which could be used to mitigate balance disorders in MS....
Audiologists and vestibular therapists treating patients with multiple sclerosis should consider vestibular physical therapy as a supported intervention for improving balance and reducing dizziness, pending review of the meta-analysis's effect sizes and heterogeneity.
Providing high-level systematic evidence that vestibular rehabilitation benefits people with MS strengthens the case for multidisciplinary referral pathways involving audiologists and physical therapists.
- 01Systematic review and meta-analysis synthesising evidence on vestibular physical therapy in multiple sclerosis.
- 02Primary outcomes are improvements in balance and reduction in dizziness.
- 03Multiple sclerosis frequently causes vestibular and balance dysfunction, making this a clinically relevant population.
- 04Published in the Journal of Vestibular Research.
- 05Meta-analytic design provides the highest level of evidence available for this intervention in this population.
Vestibular physical therapy is effective at improving balance in people with multiple sclerosis.
studysupportedVestibular physical therapy reduces dizziness in people with multiple sclerosis.
studysupported- PMID
- 42084487
- DOI
- 10.1177/09574271261444952.
- Journal
- Journal of Vestibular Research
- Publication type
- meta_analysis
- Evidence level
- 1a
- Population
- People with multiple sclerosis experiencing balance and dizziness symptoms
- Intervention
- Vestibular physical therapy (vestibular rehabilitation exercises)
- Comparator
- Control or comparator conditions as reported in included studies
Primary outcomes
Balance performance; Dizziness severity