Head stabilization measurements as a potential evaluation tool for comparison of persons with TBI and vestibular dysfunction with healthy controls.
A large percentage of persons with traumatic brain injury incur some type of vestibular dysfunction requiring vestibular physical therapy. These injuries may affect the natural ability to stabilize the head while walking. A simple method of utilizing motion capture equipment to measure head movement while walking was used to assess improvements in head stabilization of persons undergoing computerized vestibular physical therapy and virtual reality training for treatment of their vestibular problems. Movement data from the head and sacrum during gait were obtained over several visits and then analyzed to determine improved oscillatory head movement relative to the sacrum. The data suggest that, over time with treatment, head stabilization improves and moves toward a pattern similar to that of a healthy control population. This simple analysis of measuring head stability could be transferred to smaller, portable systems that are easily utilized to measure head stability during gait for use in gait assessment and physical therapy training.
Warfighter Performance Department, Naval Health Research Center, 140 Sylvester Road, San Diego, CA 92106.
Pinata H
PH
Sessoms
Physical Therapy Department, Naval Medical Center San Diego, 34800 Bob Wilson Drive, San Diego, CA 92134.
Kim R
KR
Gottshall
Warfighter Performance Department, Naval Health Research Center, 140 Sylvester Road, San Diego, CA 92106.
Jordan
J
Sturdy
University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093.
Erik
E
Viirre
D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D015837:Vestibular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult