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Effects of a vestibular physiotherapy protocol on adults with intellectual disability in the prevention of falls: A multi‐centre clinical trial

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Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities

Published online on

Abstract

--- - |2+ Background Balance alterations are one of the main problems in people with intellectual disabilities (ID), increasing their risk of falls and impacting their life. Aims To describe a vestibular rehabilitation programme (VRP) and evaluate its effects on the ability to maintain balance and risk of suffering a fall. Methods Forty‐seven adults with mild to moderate ID were randomly assigned to two groups: a control group (CG, N = 24), which performed a general physical exercise only, and an experimental group (EG, N = 23) which also completed a VRP. The variables, used pre‐ and post‐training and 1 month after the intervention, were as follows: Center of Pressure Displacement, Berg Scale, Timed Up and Go Test, and the Modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction and Balance. Results The EG improved significantly in each variable. The CG did not show changes for any of the parameters. Conclusions A programme based on VRP may improve balance and reduce the risk of falling. - Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, EarlyView.