Effect of Vestibular Rehabilitation and Gaze Stabilization exercises in individuals with Motion Sickness

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of vestibular rehabilitation and gaze stabilization exercises in reducing motion sickness symptoms in individuals experiencing motion sickness. The outcomes were assessed using Motion Sensitivity Quotient (MSQ), Motion Sickness Assessment Questionnaire (MSAQ), and Virtual Reality Balance Questionnaire (VRBQ).
The findings of the study demonstrated that all three groups showed significant improvement in motion sickness symptoms following the intervention. This was evident from the reduction in MSQ, MSAQ, and VRBQ scores in within-group analysis, indicating that vestibular rehabilitation, gaze stabilization exercises, and conventional treatment are all effective in managing symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, and balance disturbances.
On comparing the groups, the combined intervention group (vestibular rehabilitation with gaze stabilization exercises and conventional treatment) showed greater improvement in all outcome measures.
However, between-group analysis revealed that this improvement was statistically significant only when compared with the conventional treatment group. The comparison between the combined intervention group and the vestibular rehabilitation with conventional treatment group was not statistically significant, suggesting that both interventions are comparably effective. Similarly, no statistically significant difference was observed between the vestibular rehabilitation with conventional treatment group and the conventional treatment group, although clinical improvement was noted.
The greater improvement observed in the combined intervention group may be attributed to the synergistic effect of vestibular rehabilitation and gaze stabilization exercises. Vestibular rehabilitation helps in enhancing vestibular compensation and improving balance, while gaze stabilization exercises improve visual-vestibular interaction and dynamic visual acuity. Together, these interventions may reduce sensory conflict, which is one of the primary causes of motion sickness.
Furthermore, the improvement observed across all groups may also be explained by neural adaptation and habituation mechanisms, where repeated exposure to motion stimuli leads to reduced symptom severity over time. This supports the use of structured rehabilitation programs in managing motion sickness effectively.
Thus, the findings of the present study suggest that although all treatment approaches are beneficial, a multimodal intervention combining vestibular rehabilitation and gaze stabilization exercises provides better clinical outcomes, particularly when compared to conventional treatment alone.