Using Wearable Sensors for Precision Rehabilitation in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Real-Time Biofeedback During Vestibular Therapy to Improve Balance and Movement Study in Adults Ages 18 to 60 with Concussion-Related Balance Problems

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the use of wearable sensors to assess and treat people with mild traumatic brain injury mTBI, focusing especially on balance and movement problems common after concussion. The study aims to improve rehabilitation by providing immediate visual andor auditory feedback on movement quality during physical therapy, compared to standard vestibular rehabilitation. This approach targets specific mTBI subtypes affecting balance and vision and seeks to help patients return safely to high-level activities such as military duty. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups one receiving vestibular therapy enhanced with real-time audio and visual biofeedback from sensors placed on the head, chest, waist, and feet, and the other receiving standard vestibular therapy without biofeedback. Both groups will complete 12 therapy sessions over 6 weeks, with sessions twice a week. A subset of participants will also wear instrumented socks for 7 days to monitor daily life mobility, alongside healthy military members for comparison. During the study, participants will undergo various assessments before and after therapy, including patient-reported outcomes, clinical tests, and instrumented measures of balance, gait, and vision. The main measure is the Patient Global Impression of Change after 8 weeks. Researchers will also analyze responses by subtype severity and collect detailed mobility data. Safety risks include possible symptom increase and fall risk. The total study duration for each participant includes 6 weeks of therapy plus follow-up assessments.

Wearable Technology to Characterize and Treat mTBI Subtypes: Biofeedback-Based Precision Rehabilitation