Background: Concussion is a form of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) that disrupts brain function. Although symptoms are mostly transient, recovery can be delayed and result in post-concussive syndrome (PCS). Vestibular and oculomotor deficits are among the most debilitating impairments associated with PCS. Non-pharmacological interventions provide treatment with limited side effects in comparison to pharmacological interventions. The aim of this review is to synthesise and evaluate the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions that have been used to target vestibular and oculomotor deficits in PCS.
Methods: Advanced searches will be conducted in electronic databases to identify articles eligible for inclusion. Studies employing non-pharmacological treatments for vestibular and/or oculomotor dysfunction in PCS will be included if they meet the eligibility criteria. Outcomes will be those pertaining to measures of oculomotor and vestibular function, in addition to adverse events. Meta-analysis will be undertaken using a random effects model followed by an assessment of clinical significance for each outcome as published in literature.
Discussion: While non-pharmacological interventions are used commonly to treat vestibular and oculomotor deficits in PCS, the effectiveness of these treatments is yet to be completely elucidated. The present review will explore the effectiveness of non-pharmacological treatments for vestibular and oculomotor deficits in PCS to inform practice and future research.
Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42021254720