Postural Stability Assessment in Patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Complaining of Dizziness

We compared subjective and objective measurements of symptoms of dizziness and postural stability in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) during the first week following the injury. We recruited 244 patients with mTBI and 105 controls. The Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) and modified Clinical Test of Sensory Integration and Balance were used as the subjective and objective measures of dizziness and ability to perform daily activities, respectively. All four DHI subscores significantly differed among the three mTBI subgroups (low, middle, and high; P = 0.00). The predictor of postural stability and sensory integration in all three DHI subgroups was the eyes closed while standing on a firm surface (ECFIS) condition (P = 0.03). A significant relationship was observed between the emotional (r = 0.14, P = 0.028) and total (r = 0.13, P = 0.048) aspects of the DHI and sensory integration indices (ECFIS). Compared with the healthy controls, balance, postural stability, and sensory integration were considerably impaired in the patients with mTBIs. However, a low correlation was observed between subjective (DHI) and objective balance measurements.