Electrotactile Stimulati on of the Tongue: a New Opti on in the Rehabilitati on of Postural Stability – a Case Report

Czech version

Authors: O. Čakrt ¹; P. Kolář ¹; R. Černý ²; T. Funda ³; J. Jeřábek ^2,3
Authors‘ workplace: Klinika rehabilitace a tělovýchovného lékařství 2. LF UK a FN v Motole, Praha, 2Neurologická klinika dospělých 2. LF UK a FN v Motole, Praha, 3ČVUT FBMI, Společné pracoviště biomedicínského inženýrství FBMI a 1. LF UK v Praze ¹
Published in: Cesk Slov Neurol N 2009; 72/105(4): 364-367
Category: Case Report

Overview

A completely new technique in the rehabilitati on of pati ents suffering from balance disorders is the use of bi ological feedback by way of electrotactile stimulati on – the BrainPort^® system. Thanks to electrotactile stimulati on of the tongue, the pati ent is informed of the actu al positi on of his he ad. The principle part of the equipment is an accelerometer, which transmits informati on concerning changes in he ad positi ons to electrical impulses, which the pati ent feels on their tongue. The technique is predominantly used in peripheral disorders of the labyrinth where satisfactory compensati on has not been achi eved with standard processes. The technique is also promising in pati ents with central stability disorders. This paper demonstrates the promising effect of this rehabilitative appro ach in pati ents with palle ocerebellar disorders.

Key words:
biofeedback – postural balance – rehabilitation – cerebellar syndrome

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