Objective: Many studies have published conflicting results regarding the necessity of post-maneuver postural restrictions following treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). The purpose of this meta-analysis is to complete an updated, comprehensive review to determine best practice following a repositioning maneuver (RM).
Data sources: PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase were searched through July 2016. The reference lists of the selected studies were searched for studies that were not identified in the electronic database searches.
Study selection: Studies investigating the effect of post-maneuver postural restrictions on RM treatment efficacy were included.
Data extraction: The methodology, number of participants, type of RM administered, post-maneuver restrictions implemented, outcome measures, and results for each study were recorded.
Data synthesis: Following data extraction, heterogeneity and homogeneity values of included studies were determined. Risk ratios and random effects values were obtained to determine effect size.
Results: Eleven studies were included in the meta-analysis. The results of 739 total subjects were analyzed, 362 of which received post-maneuver postural restrictions and 377 of which did not. Meta-analysis revealed that there was not a statistically significant difference in treatment success rates between patients who received post-maneuver postural restrictions (90.3%) and those who did not (81.7%) (p = 0.095).
Conclusions: There was no statistically significant difference found in treatment efficacy between subjects who received post-maneuver postural restrictions and those who did not. Based on the results of this meta-analysis, if there is any benefit from prescribing the postural restrictions, it is likely to be a small marginal improvement in outcomes.