Abstract
Recent studies have suggested that vibration therapy may have a positive influence in treating motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, quantitative evidence of the benefits of vibration utilized inconsistent methods of vibration delivery, and to date there have been no studies showing a long-term benefit of 40 Hz vibration in the PD population. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy of vibration administered via a physioacoustic therapy method (PAT) on motor symptoms of PD over a longer term, completed as a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Overall motor symptom severity measured by the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale III showed significant improvements in the treatment group over 12 weeks. Specifically, all aspects of PD, including tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and posture and gait measures improved. To our knowledge, this is the first study to quantitatively assess 40-Hz vibration applied using the PAT method for potential long-term therapeutic effects on motor symptoms of PD.
Highlights
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement, and is characterized by symptoms such as tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability
The objective of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy of vibration administered via a physioacoustic therapy method (PAT) on motor symptoms of PD over a longer term, completed as a randomized placebo-controlled trial
The total Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor score was analysed in order to assess the general improvement of motor symptoms in PD patients
Summary
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement, and is characterized by symptoms such as tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability. PD is typically treated pharmacologically, but over time such treatments demonstrate decreasing efficacy as well as psychiatric and physiological complications [1,2]. It is important to investigate alternative non-pharmacologic strategies that may supplement the treatment of PD symptoms. Levy and colleagues have demonstrated that the over-activity of the subthalamic nucleas of the basal ganglia may cause it to be abnormally held at a 15–30 Hz oscillatory rhythm [9]. This has been supported by studies in DBS, which have implicated synchronized oscillatory activity in the “theta/alpha” frequency bands [10,11] and “beta”
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