The impact of physiotherapy treatment in patients with balance disorders and dizziness

Balance disorders and dizziness, which are the results of the impairment function of the sensorimotor control system, are often symptoms mentioned by patients in GP’s surgery. In regard to the fact that there are no effective pharmacological or surgical treatments for cervical dizziness, the purpose of this article is to verify if pharmacological and surgical treatment complemented with physiotherapy has a stimulating effect on the circuits responsible for posture control. Ambulatory patients – 47 patients with cervicogenic dizziness attended in the physiotherapeutic program, which lasted 10 days in a system of 5 days of therapy intertwined with 2 days off. In order to objectify the therapy results the efficiency of the balance system was evaluated, using the examination which registered forces and foot pressure moments on the ground during unperturbed stance. A statistical analysis of the stabilogram length in planta sagitalia (forward – backward) F-B and planta frontalia (right – left) R-L proved: with open eyes – statistically significant reduction of stabilogram length in planta frontalia (R-L) p<0.043; biofeedback – on the border of statistic significance p<0.068, a reduction of stabilogram length in planta frontalia (R-L). A statistical analysis of the speed of body stability stabilogram proved: with open eyes – statistically significant reduction of stabilogram speed in planta frontalia (R-L), p<0.018. A statistical analysis of the path length of the center of foot pressure proved: with open eyes – a statistically significant reduction (p<0.017) of the path length of the center of foot pressure. An analysis concerning the moment of foot pressure and forces pressured on the ground during unperturbed stance confirms that the application of physiotherapy had a stimulating influence on the systems responsible for postural control.