Effects of whole body vibration exercises on functional parameters of individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic disease related to various systemic manifestations including dyspnea, exercise intolerance and peripheral muscular dysfunction, with a direct impact on functional capacity. Objectives: To verify if whole body vibration exercises (WBVE) can be used as exercise modality in individuals with COPD without leading to exacerbation of the disease, with several clinical benefits. Methods: Individuals diagnosed with COPD, aged ≥ 40 years, will be randomly distributed into 4 groups: control group (CG) who will not undergo WBVE, with their normal daily routine, group who will be exposed to WBVE in the sitting position in an auxiliary chair once a week (GS1) and twice a week (GS2) and WBVE group twice a week in the standing position with knee flexion (GP2). The protocol will last 6 weeks, each session will have 5 sets of 1 min vibration with 1 min rest, frequency 25 Hz and peak-to-peak displacement 2.5 mm. Muscle strength and function will be assessed through manual dynamometry and surface electromyography and dyspnea using the Modified Borg Scale (MBS) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) Scale. Discussion: WBVE, due to the various effects already described, seem to be a promising exercise modality for individuals with COPD, potentially being used as an instrument for pulmonary rehabilitation. Conclusions: The results of this study may provide evidence to justify a WBVE program to the improvement on the physical performance and on neuromuscular function of individuals with COPD.Keywords: COPD; Whole-body vibration exercise; Muscular function; Pulmonary rehabilitation.