The effect of postural restrictions given in addition to canali̇th reposition maneuver (CRM) and canalith reposition maneuvers on reducing fall risk in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)

Tolga Öcal, The Effect of Postural Restrictions Given in Addition to Canalith Reposition Maneuver (CRM) and Canalith Reposition Maneuvers on Reducing Fall Risk in Patients with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). Objective:The aim of this study is to examine the effect of postural restraints given in addition to CRMs in patients with BPPV on the findings of fall risk assessment tests and to compare the findings of fall risk assessment tests obtained before and after CRM. Material and Methods: Thirty-four patients diagnosed with BPPV in 2022 at Başkent University Ankara Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Audiology Clinic were included in the study. While only canalith repositioning maneuver (CRM) was applied to Group 2 for BPPV treatment, CRM was applied to Group 1 and postural restrictions were recommended. Morse Fall Scale (MFS), Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Romberg test were applied to the patients before the treatment, on the day when the BPPV diagnostic tests were negative, and 1 month after the treatment, and the risk of falling was evaluated. Results: In our study, no significant difference was found between Group 1 and Group 2 when the mean scores of MDS, TUG, BBS and Romberg tests applied before and after the treatment were analyzed between the groups. In Group 1 and Group 2, the mean scores of TUG and BBS of the patients in the group were statistically significantly improved over time. However, the mean MDS and Romberg test scores of the patients in the group in Group 1 and Group 2 did not improve statistically significantly according to time. Conclusion: According to this study, CRMs may have a positive effect on preventing the fall risks of BPPV patients. Postural restrictions had no effect on preventing falls in BPPV patients. In BPPV patients, the effect of CRM and postural restraints in addition to CRMs on the risk of falling needs to be examined with other fall risk assessment tools. Keywords:BPPV, canalith reposition maneuver, fall, fall risk assessments.