No immediate change to clinical vestibular rehabilitation practice is warranted; this is a conceptual reframing paper proposing a broader application of vestibular-ocular training in sport, pending supporting efficacy trials.
Positioning vestibular-ocular interventions as performance-enhancement tools could expand the role of audiologists and vestibular specialists into elite sports science and athlete optimization programs.
- 01Proposes expanding vestibular-ocular reflex (VOR) training beyond injury rehab into athletic performance optimization.
- 02Published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine — a high-impact, peer-reviewed sports medicine journal.
- 03Conceptual/opinion-style reframing rather than a primary efficacy trial.
- 04Could bridge audiology/vestibular specialties with sports medicine and performance science.
- 05No new clinical trial data presented to directly support performance claims.
Vestibular-ocular interventions can optimize sports performance beyond their traditional rehabilitation role.
opinionpartially supportedCurrent framing of vestibular-ocular training as purely rehabilitative limits its potential application in healthy athletes.
opinionunclear- PMID
- 42309780
- DOI
- 10.1136/bjsports-2026-111615.
- Journal
- British Journal of Sports Medicine
- Publication type
- editorial
- Evidence level
- 5
- Population
- Athletes (conceptual/theoretical — no specific study population enrolled)
- Intervention
- Vestibular-ocular reflex (VOR) interventions reframed for performance optimization
Primary outcomes
Sports performance outcomes; Conceptual reframing of vestibular-ocular training scope