Imagine waking up after a stroke and realizing you cannot see the entire left side of your world. This condition is called unilateral spatial neglect. It makes daily tasks like eating or walking dangerous. A new study looked at a simple treatment called neck muscle vibration. This involves gently shaking the muscles in the neck to help the brain relearn how to see. The researchers gave this treatment to twenty patients who had strokes on the right side of their brain. These patients also received standard therapy for their vision loss. Some got the real vibration treatment, while others received a fake version that felt the same but did nothing. After one month, the group with real vibration showed big improvements in three out of four vision tests. They also explored their surroundings more freely. The group with the fake treatment improved in only one test. Both groups got better at daily activities like dressing or cooking. However, the study was very small with only twenty people. This means the results need more proof before doctors can use this everywhere. Still, the treatment is safe and easy to use.
Neck muscle vibration improves neglect symptoms in right-hemispheric stroke patientsVibrating neck muscles help stroke patients ignore the empty side of their vision
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Key Takeaway
Consider neck muscle vibration as a passive tool for early rehabilitation in right-hemispheric stroke with neglect.
This randomized clinical trial evaluated neck muscle vibration in a population of 20 patients with right-hemispheric stroke and unilateral spatial neglect. The intervention involved active neck muscle vibration, while the comparator was placebo neck muscle vibration combined with standard neglect therapy. Follow-up occurred at 1.0 months.
The active neck muscle vibration group demonstrated significant improvements in three of four standard neglect tests and in exploration behavior measured by the Free Exploration Test. In contrast, the placebo group improved in only one of the four standard neglect tests. Both groups showed gains in activities of daily living performance.
Between-group analyses indicated no statistically significant differences between the active and placebo groups. Safety data regarding adverse events, serious adverse events, discontinuations, and tolerability were not reported. The study limitations include a small sample size of 20 patients.
The practice relevance notes that neck muscle vibration alone yields clinically meaningful and lasting improvements in neglect symptoms and activities of daily living. These improvements are comparable to standard neglect therapy. The passive nature of the intervention makes it a promising tool, particularly for early rehabilitation.
What this means for you:
Vibrating neck muscles helped stroke patients improve vision and daily tasks after one month. 
View Original Abstract ↓
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Unilateral spatial neglect (UN) impairs patients' ability to detect and respond to stimuli on the contralesional side, severely limiting functional recovery after right-hemispheric stroke. Neck muscle vibration (NMV) has been shown to be a bottom-up, proprioceptive intervention to modulate spatial neglect. Although preliminary studies found promising effects, the isolated efficacy of NMV for neglect rehabilitation has not yet been tested in a randomized, blinded controlled trial. This study aimed to evaluate whether NMV alone improves neglect symptoms and activities of daily living (ADL).
METHODS: Twenty patients with right-hemispheric stroke and UN were randomly assigned to receive either active or placebo NMV (combined, but not simultaneously with computer-based training) over 2 weeks (5 sessions/week, 20 minutes/day). In the computer training, the placebo NMV group completed neglect-specific modules (standard neglect therapy [SNT], e.g., visual exploration training), while the active NMV group performed only general cognitive tasks unrelated to neglect. This allowed the isolated effect of NMV to be examined. Assessments included standard neglect diagnostics (e.g., Letter Cancellation), the Free Exploration Test (FET), and 2 ADL-based measures (NET, CBS), conducted before, immediately after, and (NMV group only) 1 month post-treatment.
RESULTS: The active NMV group showed significant improvements in 3 of 4 standard neglect tests, exploration behavior (FET), and ADL performance, with effects remaining stable at 1-month follow-up. The SNT group with placebo NMV showed comparable gains in ADL outcomes but improved in 1 standard neglect test only. Between-group analyses revealed no statistically significant differences, suggesting similar efficacy of both interventions.
CONCLUSION: NMV alone yields clinically meaningful and lasting improvements in neglect symptoms and ADL, comparable to SNT. Its passive nature makes it a promising tool, particularly for early rehabilitation.
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