Scientists have developed an interactive website that can better reduce dizziness among older adults as compared to patients receiving standard care.
The Balance Retraining site, developed by researchers at the University of Southampton in the UK, significantly lowered levels of dizziness symptoms in patients after three and six months.
After three months, 40 per cent of people using the site reported that they felt 'much better' or 'completely well' - twice as many as in the medical doctor care group.
Dizziness affects nearly one in three people aged over 65 in the UK and is often caused by problems with the vestibular (balance) organ in the inner ear.
Patients with 'vestibular dizziness', such as those examined in this study, can suffer severe symptoms, triggered by simple everyday movements like turning over in bed, or looking left and right to cross the road.
These symptoms are very disruptive - leading to falls, anxiety, depression and loss of independence.
The recommended treatment is a simple exercise-based therapy called vestibular rehabilitation, which involves nodding and shaking the head.
Previous research has shown that patients using this therapy are nearly three times more likely to reduce their dizziness than those who do not.
However, very few people who report dizziness to their doctor are referred for this type of treatment, so there is a real need to improve access.
Researchers developed Balance Retraining to address this problem and help people with dizziness to carry out vestibular rehabilitation exercises via the Web - using video demonstrations, instructions and personalised feedback and advice.
"Balance Retraining has been designed to be very straightforward to use and provides individuals with information and instruction about techniques they can use to reduce their dizziness," said Lucy Yardley, Professor at the University of Southampton.
"The vestibular rehabilitation exercises are very quick and easy to carry out, and work by encouraging the body's balance system to re-adjust to the movements that trigger dizziness symptoms," said Yardley.
"Users were very positive about their experiences. They found it easy to use, visually appealing and encouraging," said Adam Geraghty, a researcher at the University of Southampton.
"Overall, the results show that Balance Retraining is an effective and appealing method of delivering vestibular rehabilitation to those who need it," said Geraghty.
The findings were published in the journal Annals of Family Medicine.
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