ETSU's Dr. Courtney Hall Leads Effort To Update Vestibular Rehab Guidelines

From East Tennessee State University:

February 15, 2022

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – An East Tennessee State University professor
of physical therapy recently led a multidisciplinary effort to update the clinical
practice guidelines for the field of vestibular rehabilitation, published in the Journal
of Neurologic Physical Therapy.

Dr. Courtney Hall says these guidelines are updated every five years as new research
and scientific evidence emerge in the treatment of vestibular disorders, or inner
ear balance problems that lead to dizziness.

Hall is a professor in the Department of Rehabilitative Sciences in ETSU’s College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences. She is also a research health science specialist with the Hearing and Balance Research Program at the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center at Mountain Home.

According to Hall, vestibular dysfunction and the dizziness it causes are very common,
affecting around one-third of adults over the age of 40 – or between 53 and 95 million
people – in the United States and Europe.

“These are not disorders related to concussions or central nervous disorders like
multiple sclerosis, but are peripheral vestibular disorders that can be due to inflammation
or infection,” Hall said. “There’s some damage to the system, and many times, people
can recover on their own if they’re active and moving, but sometimes it requires specific
exercises for people to fully recover.

“The goal of the clinical practice guidelines is to optimize outcomes for people with
dizziness and vertigo related to vestibular dysfunction, and to help the clinicians
who treat them to have the most up-to-date evidence for treatment,” she continued.
“With these updated guidelines, there’s still very strong evidence that vestibular
physical therapy is effective. It reduces symptoms, improves balance, reduces fall
risk, and gets people back to work.”

Hall led the six-member guideline development team, which included specialists from
Emory University, Atlanta; the University of Pittsburgh; the University of Rochester,
New York; the University of Michigan; and the Army-Baylor University Doctoral Program
in Physical Therapy, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Assisted by a multidisciplinary advisory
board that included ear, nose and throat physicians, neurologists, audiologists, occupational
and physical therapists and chiropractic physicians, the team looked at approximately
35 new studies from randomized clinical trials and cohort studies in developing the
updated guidelines.

One significant finding included in the new guidelines is that early treatment can
be instrumental in helping patients get better faster.

“There’s some evidence that if we can see people earlier they can have better outcomes,”
Hall said. “That’s really important, and therapists can go to their referring physicians
and tell them, ‘If you have someone experiencing dizziness, let’s not do the wait-and-see
game – let’s get them in. We can give them specific exercises that will help them.’”

Visit etsu.edu/crhs/physther/ to learn more about the ETSU Physical Therapy Program and etsu.edu/crhs/ to learn more about the College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences.

This press release was produced by East Tennessee State University. The views expressed are the author's own.