Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) Training for Sports Medicine Providers in a Pediatric Concussion Program

NCT ID: NCT03425786

Last Updated: 2024-11-25

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 221 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2021-09-29
• Study Completion Date: 2023-03-01

Brief Summary

The investigators are training a group of four pediatric Sports Medicine providers in BPPV maneuvers. All four providers will be trained in the diagnostic maneuvers, and two will be randomly selected to also be trained in the treatment maneuvers. The providers will be encouraged to use the diagnostic maneuvers on all new concussion patients whose initial visit is within 28 days of their injury. They will complete a survey at the start and end of the study to determine if they thought the training affected their understanding of BPPV and confidence in managing it, as well as determine any challenges they faced with learning/administering the maneuvers. Additionally, the investigators will determine if the additional training impacts time to recovery from concussion, as well as determine potential risk factors for BPPV in concussion.

Detailed Description

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a common disorder of the inner ear that causes episodes of vertigo. BPPV occurs as a result of displacement of otoliths from their position on the utricle into one of the semicircular canals. Posterior canal BPPV is diagnosed by performing the Dix-Hallpike maneuver, and lateral canal BPPV is diagnosed by performing the supine head roll test (Pagnini-McClure maneuver). Most cases of BPPV will resolve spontaneously, but this can take weeks to months without intervention, and approximately a third of cases will not resolve without treatment. Repositioning maneuvers, such as the Epley maneuver and Barbecue maneuver, move the otolith crystals out of the affected semicircular canal and back to their position on the utricle organ. Such maneuvers have been shown to be highly effective at resolving BPPV, and typically only 1-2 treatments are required.

BPPV most commonly occurs as an isolated spontaneous disorder, but it can also occur following a concussion. While the diagnosis and treatment of BPPV is a routine component of most Otolaryngology and Neurology training programs, it is not a component of most Sports Medicine training programs. It is also common that providers who are taught to diagnose BPPV do not know how to treat it. Furthermore, the role of BPPV in concussion recovery has not been well studied. Hoffer and colleagues found BPPV to be present in nearly a third of adult military patients with dizziness immediately following a concussion, and they found that these patients had rapid symptom resolution following repositioning maneuvers. The investigators recently found evidence of BPPV in 21% of patients referred to their pediatric vestibular program clinic for prolonged dizziness symptoms following a concussion. The majority of these patients were successfully treated with repositioning maneuvers following their first visit to the vestibular clinic, but that visit occurred at a mean of 4 months following their initial injury.

In order to determine if early recognition and management of BPPV will expedite recovery from concussion in affected patients, the investigators will train a group of four pediatric Sports Medicine providers in BPPV maneuvers. All four providers will be trained by Dr. Jacob Brodsky in the Dix-Hallpike and head roll maneuvers (BPPV diagnosis; Both Groups A & B), and two will be randomly selected to also be trained by Dr. Brodsky in the Epley and Barbecue maneuvers (BPPV treatment; Group A only). The providers will be encouraged to use the Dix-Hallpike and head roll maneuvers on all new concussion patients whose initial visit is within 28 days of their injury to determine if the patients have BPPV. Providers who have been trained in treatment maneuvers (Group A, Early BPPV Management) will be encouraged to perform them accordingly on any patients with positive diagnostic maneuvers. Providers who have not been trained in treatment maneuvers (Group B, Late BPPV Management) will refer patients with suspected BPPV to Dr. Brodsky for treatment, as is currently the routine. Patients are not being directly randomized and do not need to do anything beyond attend their regularly scheduled appointments.

The Sports Medicine providers will complete a source document after each visit to document which maneuvers were performed and if the patient has recovered from concussion. They will also complete a survey at the start and end of the study to determine if they thought the training affected their understanding of BPPV and confidence in managing it, as well as determine any challenges they faced with learning/administering the maneuvers. The patients managed by providers in Group A will then be compared to patients managed by providers in Group B by multiple variables, including their post concussion symptom scores (PCSS), time to clearance for return to play, and time to symptom resolution. The investigators will also compare patients who were diagnosed with BPPV to those who were not to evaluate for risk factors for post-concussion BPPV, including comparison of age, gender, migraine history, prior concussion history, and mode of injury.

Conditions

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: OTHER
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Early BPPV Management

Diagnostic and treatment training for BPPV.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Diagnostic and treatment training

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Training in the Dix-Hallpike maneuver and the supine head roll test to diagnose BPPV. Training in the Epley and Barbecue maneuvers to treat BPPV.

Late BPPV Management

Diagnostic training for BPPV. Sports Medicine providers will refer patients positive for BPPV to an Otolaryngologist at our institution for treatment.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Diagnostic training

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Training in the Dix-Hallpike maneuver and the supine head roll test to diagnose BPPV.

Interventions

Diagnostic training

Training in the Dix-Hallpike maneuver and the supine head roll test to diagnose BPPV.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Diagnostic and treatment training

Training in the Dix-Hallpike maneuver and the supine head roll test to diagnose BPPV. Training in the Epley and Barbecue maneuvers to treat BPPV.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Sports Medicine providers at Boston Children's Hospital who see a high volume of concussion patients

Exclusion Criteria

• None

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 99 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Boston Children's Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Jacob Brodsky

Director of the Balance and Vestibular Program

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Jacob R Brodsky, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Boston Children's Hospital

Locations

Boston Children's Hospital Waltham

Waltham, Massachusetts, United States

Countries

United States

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Sports-related recurrent brain injuries--United States. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1997 Mar 14;46(10):224-7.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 9082176 (View on PubMed)

Meehan WP 3rd, Mannix RC, Stracciolini A, Elbin RJ, Collins MW. Symptom severity predicts prolonged recovery after sport-related concussion, but age and amnesia do not. J Pediatr. 2013 Sep;163(3):721-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2013.03.012. Epub 2013 Apr 26.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 23628374 (View on PubMed)

Lau BC, Kontos AP, Collins MW, Mucha A, Lovell MR. Which on-field signs/symptoms predict protracted recovery from sport-related concussion among high school football players? Am J Sports Med. 2011 Nov;39(11):2311-8. doi: 10.1177/0363546511410655. Epub 2011 Jun 28.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 21712482 (View on PubMed)

Kim JS, Zee DS. Clinical practice. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. N Engl J Med. 2014 Mar 20;370(12):1138-47. doi: 10.1056/NEJMcp1309481. No abstract available.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 24645946 (View on PubMed)

Hoffer ME, Gottshall KR, Moore R, Balough BJ, Wester D. Characterizing and treating dizziness after mild head trauma. Otol Neurotol. 2004 Mar;25(2):135-8. doi: 10.1097/00129492-200403000-00009.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 15021772 (View on PubMed)

Hilton M, Pinder D. The Epley manoeuvre for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo--a systematic review. Clin Otolaryngol Allied Sci. 2002 Dec;27(6):440-5. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2273.2002.00613.x.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 12472509 (View on PubMed)

Brodsky, J.R., Cusick, B.A., Zhou, G. Delayed diagnosis and treatment of benign paroxysmal positioning vertigo (BPPV) in children and adolescents with post-concussive syndrome. Poster presentation at the Triological Society Meeting, Miami, FL, 2016.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Other Identifiers

IRB-P00025099

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id