Sensory Integration Balance Deficits in Complex mTBI: Can Early Initiation of Rehabilitation with Wearable Sensor Technology Improve Outcomes?
Abstract
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is common both in civilian and military populations and can be debilitating if symptoms do not resolve after injury. Balance problems are one of the most common complaints after sustaining an mTBI and often prevent people from returning to their previous quality of life. However, we currently lack clear guidelines on when to initiate physical therapy rehabilitation and it is unclear if early physical therapy is beneficial. We believe that the underlying problem of imbalance results from damage to parts of the brain responsible for interpreting sensory information for balance control. We hypothesize that retraining the brain early, as opposed to months after injury, to correctly interpret sensory information will improve recovery. We also believe this retraining is limited when rehabilitation exercises are performed incorrectly, and that performance feedback from wearable sensors, can improve balance rehabilitation. The researchers in this project are experts at understanding and treating complex balance problems and have developed novel and portable ways to measure balance using new technology. There are three of objectives of this proposal: 1) To determine how the timing of rehabilitation affects outcomes after mTBI 2) To determine if home monitoring of balance exercises using wearable sensors improves outcomes and 3) To develop a novel feedback system using wearable sensors to provide the physical therapist information, in real-time during training, about quality of head and trunk movements during prescribed exercises.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1086481
Entities
People
- Kody Campbell
- Laurie A King
- Lucy Parrington
- Shelby Martin
Organizations
- Oregon Health & Science University