Vestibular Rehabilitation for Patients With Fall-related Wrist Fractures

Lund University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Dizziness; Wrist Fractures

Treatments: Other: Vestibular rehabilitation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00988572

Radius

Details and patient eligibility

About

Dizziness has been identified as a risk factor for fall and vestibular asymmetry has been found among patients with fall-related wrist fractures as well as among patients with hip-fracture. Since wrist fracture is a risk factor for hip-fracture, much effort is focused on preventing falls for risk-groups. Therefore, it would be interesting to find out if it is possible to influence vestibular asymmetry with vestibular rehabilitation.

The aim of this study is therefore to find out if vestibular rehabilitation can have any effect on vestibular function among patients with fall-related wrist fracture.

Full description

Fall-related fractures are an increasing problem for the society. Almost 30% of persons over 65 years of age fall each year. In Sweden 627 persons out of 100 000 is treated in hospitals because of injury after a fall. In Malmö, the figure is 883 persons out of 100 000. However, not all falls lead to a fracture. Dizziness has been identified as a risk factor for fall and vestibular asymmetry has been found among patients with fall-related wrist fractures as well as among patients with hip-fracture.

Vestibular rehabilitation programs were first developed in the forties, originally used for peripheral vestibular disorder, in order to facilitate recovery. Modern research has widened the use of vestibular rehabilitation to patients with other causes of dizziness than peripheral vestibular disorders. Since wrist fracture is a risk factor for hip-fracture, much effort is focused on preventing falls for risk-groups. Therefore, it would be interesting to find out if it is possible to influence vestibular asymmetry with vestibular rehabilitation.

The aim of this study is therefore to find out if vestibular rehabilitation can have any effect on vestibular function among patients with fall-related wrist fracture.

Enrollment: 82 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 50+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Fall-related wrist fracture
• 50 years or older

Exclusion criteria

• Younger than 50
• Wrist fracture not related to fall

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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82 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention group

Experimental group

Description:

Vestibular rehabilitation, twice a week for 9 weeks

Treatment:

Other: Vestibular rehabilitation

Control group

No Intervention group

Description:

The patients in the control group does nothing, except for normal treatment for their wrist fracture.