Focal vibration in dysphagia: A technological treatment for severe acquired brain injury rehabilitation

BackgroundA patient with severe acquired brain injury (sABI) may experience impairment in the physiological swallowing process. Many studies in the rehabilitation field have sought to understand the effects of local vibration therapy at various levels of the central nervous system and the possible benefits in neuro-rehabilitation. There are few studies directed towards the use of vibratory energy for improving swallowing and phonatory function. ObjectivesThe purpose of this study is to observe the effects of integrating conventional dysphagia therapy with the focal vibration therapy in patients with sABI. MethodsThis is a pilot, randomized controlled, parallel-arm, single-blind study. Twenty-eight patients with post-sABI dysphagia were included in the study and randomized to Conventional Group (CG, conventional treatment for dysphagia) or Experimental Group (EG, conventional treatment for dysphagia plus focal vibration therapy). Patients were assessed at baseline (T0), after 4 weeks (T1) and after 8 weeks (T2) using the Dysphagia Outcome Severity Scale (DOSS) and the Bedside Swallow Assessment scale (BSAs). ResultsPatients in the experimental group showed a statistically significant change at T1 compared with T0 at DOSS (p = .014), and at BSAS between T1 and T2 (p = .024) and between T0 and T2 (p = .027). Overall, all patients improved significantly at DOSS between T0 and T1 (p < .001) and between T0 and T2 (p < .001). ConclusionThe results obtained from this pilot study are encouraging and demonstrate how the use of focal vibration therapy in add on to conventional treatment for dysphagia may be another useful tool for improving swallowing in patients with sABI.