Vestibular Rehabilitation App for Adults With Dizziness Related to mTBI

NCT ID: NCT06222450

Last Updated: 2025-12-17

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

68 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-12-01

Study Completion Date

2026-09-15

Brief Summary

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The goal of this clinical trial is to compare outcomes for standard vestibular rehabilitation home program to a digital vestibular rehabilitation home program in adults with dizziness related to mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The main question is whether participants who use the digital format of vestibular rehabilitation improve to a greater extent at discharge than those who use the standard format. Participants will undergo a customized vestibular rehabilitation home exercise program per standard of care, consisting of gaze stabilization, habituation, balance and gait exercises, and endurance training under the supervision of a physical therapist. Participants will complete the gaze stabilization and habituation exercises 2-3 times per day and the balance and gait exercises 1 time per day for 4 weeks.

Participants will be tested before and after the 4-week intervention. At the initial session, the researcher will perform standard clinical tests of the inner ear balance system. Also at the initial session, the researcher will perform standard clinical tests of balance and walking and questionnaires about the impact of dizziness on daily activities. At the final session, the researcher will repeat the tests of balance and walking and questionnaires. Three months after completing the intervention participants will complete an online questionnaire about the impact of dizziness on daily activities.

Detailed Description

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A single blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be performed with pre- and post-treatment assessment and a 3-month follow-up assessment. Study groups are defined by the method that the home exercise vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) program is provided: Group 1 will receive standard vestibular rehabilitation therapy (S-VRT) home program, while Group 2 will receive a digital vestibular rehabilitation therapy (D-VRT) home program using the Health in Motion platform. Sixty-eight adults (+10% for attrition) with sub-acute (2 weeks-3 months) or chronic dizziness (\> 3 months) related to mTBI will be recruited and enrolled in the study. We will use a randomized block design to assure equal allocation of symptom severity to the intervention groups. Random assignment will be made using SPSS random number function. The research coordinator at each study site will create sealed study envelopes with the random study identification number that contains group assignment. In order to instruct the participant in the appropriate exercise intervention, the treating physical therapist will receive an envelope (in consecutive order) once a subject has consented to participate in the study. This study will incorporate a single blind research design, so that the researcher performing clinical balance and gait assessments will be blinded to group assignment. It is not possible to blind the treating therapist or participants.

During the pre-test session, the researcher will perform a standard vestibular evaluation including tests of balance and walking as well as questionnaires about dizziness impact on activities, balance confidence, motion sensitivity, and disability.

The treating clinician will create and provide a customized VRT home exercise program (HEP) per standard of care, consisting of gaze stabilization, habituation, balance and gait exercises, and endurance training. Gaze stabilization exercises involve head movement while maintaining fixation on a target which may be stationary or moving. Habituation exercises are chosen based on movements (of self or the visual environment) that provoke symptoms and the participant performs several repetitions of motions that cause mild to moderate symptoms. Balance and gait exercises are chosen based on identified impairments and limitations and are performed under challenging sensory and dynamic conditions to optimize balance. General conditioning, such as a customized graduated walking program for endurance will be included.

All participants will receive verbal instructions (in Health in Motion the text instruction is accompanied with voice over), demonstration of, and feedback on, accurate performance of the gaze stabilization/habituation HEP per group assignment. The S-VRT group will only receive these instructions and feedback at the weekly clinic visit from the supervising clinician. The D-VRT group will receive exercise instructions and demonstration via the Rock Steady app the first time using a game and as requested thereafter. The supervising clinician will evaluate the participant's ability to accurately perform the exercises at each follow-up visit (1x/week) and will provide additional training/feedback as needed for both S-VRT and D-VRT groups.

All participants will be instructed to complete the gaze stabilization/habituation exercises 2-3 times per day and the balance and gait exercises 1 time per day for 4 weeks. All participants will use a paper exercise log to record the performance of the HEP, regardless of group assignment. After completing the 4-week intervention, participants will be offered the option to continue using their current method or try the alternate method for the 3- month maintenance phase. After the 3-month maintenance phase, participants will complete the questionnaire about dizziness impact on daily activities.

Conditions

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Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Dizziness

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Standard VRT

The gaze stabilization, habituation and balance/gait HEP will be delivered using standard paper handouts

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT)

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

customized VRT home exercise program per standard of care, includes gaze stabilization, habituation, balance and gait exercises, and endurance training

Digital VRT

The gaze stabilization, habituation and balance/gait HEP will be delivered using a digital home program using the Health in Motion platform

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT)

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

customized VRT home exercise program per standard of care, includes gaze stabilization, habituation, balance and gait exercises, and endurance training

Interventions

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Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT)

customized VRT home exercise program per standard of care, includes gaze stabilization, habituation, balance and gait exercises, and endurance training

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* at least 18 years of age,
* diagnosis of mTBI,
* documented dizziness (total DHI score ≥ 16) and/or imbalance (total functional gait assessment score \< 23/30 or \< age-referenced norms)

Exclusion Criteria

* severe neurological disease (e.g., Parkinson's disease, neuropathy),
* moderate to severe cognitive impairment (\< 23/30 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment),
* significant orthopedic issues that would impact mobility or ability to perform gaze stabilization exercises (e.g., significant cervical dysfunction or pain),
* vision impairment (best-corrected visual acuity worse than 20/40 in the better eye), and
* severe depression/anxiety (≥ 9 on the 4-item Patient health Questionnaire)
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs

FED

Sponsor Role collaborator

Mountain Home Research & Education Corporation

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Locations

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James A Haley VA Hospital

Tampa, Florida, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Duke University School of Medicine

Durham, North Carolina, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

James H Quillen VAMC

Mountain Home, Tennessee, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Courtney Hall

Role: CONTACT

423-926-1171 ext. 7518

Stephanie Panoncillo

Role: CONTACT

423-926-1171 ext. 2116

Facility Contacts

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Jemy Delikat

Role: primary

813-972-2000 ext. 3955

Kristal Riska, PhD

Role: primary

919-681-9458

Stephanie Panoncillo

Role: primary

423-926-1171 ext. 2116

References

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Jacobson GP, Newman CW. The development of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1990 Apr;116(4):424-7. doi: 10.1001/archotol.1990.01870040046011.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 2317323 (View on PubMed)

Wrisley DM, Marchetti GF, Kuharsky DK, Whitney SL. Reliability, internal consistency, and validity of data obtained with the functional gait assessment. Phys Ther. 2004 Oct;84(10):906-18.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 15449976 (View on PubMed)

Walker ML, Austin AG, Banke GM, Foxx SR, Gaetano L, Gardner LA, McElhiney J, Morris K, Penn L. Reference group data for the functional gait assessment. Phys Ther. 2007 Nov;87(11):1468-77. doi: 10.2522/ptj.20060344. Epub 2007 Sep 4.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17785375 (View on PubMed)

Bohannon RW, Williams Andrews A. Normal walking speed: a descriptive meta-analysis. Physiotherapy. 2011 Sep;97(3):182-9. doi: 10.1016/j.physio.2010.12.004. Epub 2011 May 11.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21820535 (View on PubMed)

Hall CD, Herdman SJ. Reliability of clinical measures used to assess patients with peripheral vestibular disorders. J Neurol Phys Ther. 2006 Jun;30(2):74-81. doi: 10.1097/01.npt.0000282571.55673.ed.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16796772 (View on PubMed)

Powell LE, Myers AM. The Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 1995 Jan;50A(1):M28-34. doi: 10.1093/gerona/50a.1.m28.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 7814786 (View on PubMed)

Shepard NT, Telian SA, Smith-Wheelock M. Habituation and balance retraining therapy. A retrospective review. Neurol Clin. 1990 May;8(2):459-75.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 2359384 (View on PubMed)

Heusel-Gillig L, Santucci V, Hall CD. Development and Validation of the Modified Motion Sensitivity Test. Otol Neurotol. 2022 Sep 1;43(8):944-949. doi: 10.1097/MAO.0000000000003641.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 35970158 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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TP210512

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id