Semi-static balance assessment of migraine patients under different light conditions

Abstract

Migraine is a headache of high prevalence and high levels of disability, present more frequently in women. Balance deficits are known in migraine patients, as well as photophobia, which is exacerbated during the crisis but remains at a lower intensity in the interictal period. Visual discomfort threshold was evaluated in previous studies, but the effects of light stimuli on the maintenance of balance and the reliability of this threshold were not verified. The objective of this study will be to evaluate the semi-static balance of these patients under different light conditions and to verify the reliability of the visual discomfort threshold. Twenty 20 women with migraine will be evaluate in the force platform in unipodal and bipodal support with eyes open under the lighting conditions: ambient, visual discomfort threshold and intense discomfort. The evaluation of the luminous discomfort will be repeated in an interval of 7 to 21 days, to verify the reliability of the measurement. Considering that patients with migraine are constantly exposed to visual stimuli and that sensory hypersensitivity remains in the period between crises, the knowledge of the influence of the visual stimulus on the semi-static balance of these patients will contribute to the understanding of mechanisms involved in their postural instability. (AU)