Effects of photobiomodulation associated with vestibular rehabilitation in the treatment of patients with vestibular symptoms and tinnitus: a triple-blind randomized clinical trial.

PURPOSE: To analyze the effects of photobiomodulation (PBM) associated with vestibular rehabilitation (VR) in adults with vestibular symptoms and tinnitus, compared to VR combined with placebo PBM, regarding the reduction of tinnitus discomfort and improvements in vestibular function, postural balance, and dynamic visual acuity.

METHODS

Randomized, triple-blind clinical trial with 20 volunteers diagnosed with vestibular hypofunction and chronic tinnitus. Participants were allocated into two groups: research group (RG), which received VR combined with active PBM; and control group (CG), which received VR combined with placebo PBM. Both groups underwent ten intervention sessions, twice a week, over five weeks. Pre- and post-intervention assessments included: Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), dynamic visual acuity (DVA) test, and posturography. Data were analyzed using Student's t-test and the Mann-Whitney test (p<0.05).

RESULTS

In the post-intervention comparison between groups, the RG showed significant improvement in VAS for tinnitus (p=0.046), and in the functional (p=0.003), emotional (p=0.002), and total (p=0.000) scores of the THI. The Sensory Organization Test parameter showed a significant pre- and post-treatment difference (p=0.003) only in the RG. VAS for vestibular symptoms, DHI scores, and the Composite Equilibrium Score improved in both groups, with no significant difference between them.

CONCLUSION

PBM combined with VR significantly reduced tinnitus discomfort and showed superior performance in vestibular function analysis. VR alone did not demonstrate any effect on tinnitus reduction.