1Assistant Professor, KLEU Institute of Physiotherapy, Belgavi
2Principal, KLEU Institute of Physiotherapy, Belgavi
3Retired Professor and HOD of, ENT, JNMC, Belgavi
*Corresponding author: Dr Anil R Muragod, Assistant Professor, HOD of Geriatric Physiotherapy KLEU Institute of Physiotherapy, JNMC, Campus, Nehru Nagar, Belgavi-590010, Karnataka, India. Email id: dranilphysio@rediffmail.com
Online published on 27 April, 2016.
Meniere's disease is a vestibular condition, characterized by a classic triad of 1) vertigo 2) sensori neural hearing loss and 3) tinnitus. Meniere's disease, also called endolymphatic hydrops is a disorder of the inner ear where the endolymphatic system is distended. Physiotherapists are commonly called for vestibular rehabilitation. Tai chi is one of the management of balance training so the study was to evaluate the effect of tai chi in the treatment of Meniere's disease.
After obtaining institutional ethical clearance 10 subjects with Meniere's disease were included in the study. The informed consent was obtained from all the subjects after fulfillment of an inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria. The subjects were recruited by convenient sampling. 10 forms of Tai chi exercise were advised for all the subjects. Dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) measures were taken before the treatment and after eight weeks of follow-up.
In Meniere's disease the DHI scores show statistically significant decrease in scores with p value of.0051 by using Wilcoxon matched pairs test.
Tai Chi exercises are effective in reducing the postural instability and improved balance in Meniere's disease. So Tai chi can be used routinely in vestibular rehabilitation as part of Meniere's disease management.
Menieres disease, Vestibular rehabilitation, Tai Chi, DHI
