OBJECTIVE MEASUREMENT OF THE BENEFIT OF WALKING STICKS IN PERIPHERAL VESTIBULAR BALANCE DISORDERS, USING THE SWAY-WEIGH BALANCE PLATFORM

Following a lesion in the vestibular system visual, proprioceptive and residual vestibular information is integrated by the brain, to enable a patient to attain equilibrium. The basis of vestibular rehabilitati on is to encourage these adaptive and compensatory mechanisms. Another form of rehabilitation is to provide some form of mechanical aid, and walking sticks are often used for this purpose in patients with balan ce disorders. There are no reported studies objectively assessing the use of walking sticks in patients with balance disorders. In this stud y we used the Sway Weigh balance platform (Raymar) to determine the ef ficacy of a walking stick in 25 patients with peripheral vestibular ba lance disorders. Patients were tested with their eyes opened and eyes closed whilst they were standing on a flat surface and on an air-fille d bed (to alter limb proprioception) on the Sway Weigh balance platfor m. All the tests were carried out with, and without, a walking stick. The results demonstrate that a walking stick significantly reduces lat eral body sway in patients with peripheral vestibular balance disorder s.