Adding Vestibular Training to Post-Stroke Care

A recent study by Mishra and colleagues (2026) examined individuals with chronic post-stroke disequilibrium. Participants (n=18) received either traditional balance therapy or balance therapy plus multimodal vestibular training (MVT) over a 4-week period. MVT was essentially vestibular rehabilitation therapy. The study sought to see if adding MVT might improve balance, mobility, and quality of life. Participants were randomly assigned to either conventional balance therapy or balance therapy plus a four-week MVT program. The MVT program consisted of three supervised 45-minute sessions per week. Compared to the balance-therapy-only group, those receiving MVT showed significant improvements in mobility, as measured by the Timed Up and Go test (TUG) and stroke-specific quality of life measures. Both groups improved on the Berg Balance Scale; however, the MVT group demonstrated greater improvements from baseline. The authors concluded that adding vestibular rehabilitation activities might provide additional benefits for mobility and quality of life after stroke.

Reference

Mishra, P., Rizvi, M. R., Sethi, P., Kumari, S., Sharma, A., et al. (2026). Effect of the multimodal vestibular training on balance and quality of life in stroke survivors: A randomized controlled trial. Scientific Reports, 16, Article 29961.