Effects Of Whole-body Vibration Research Articles

Prediction of the biomechanical behaviour of the lumbar spine under multi-axis whole-body vibration using a whole-body finite element model.

Low back pain has been reported to have a high prevalence among occupational drivers. Whole-body vibration during the driving environment has been found to be a possible factor leading to low back pain. Vibration loads might lead to degeneration and herniation of the intervertebral disc, which would increase incidence of low back problems among drivers. Some previous studies have reported the effects of whole-body vibration on the human body, but studies on the internal dynamic responses of the lumbar spine under multi-axis vibration are limited. In this study, the internal biomechanical response of the intervertebral disc was extracted to investigate the biomechanical behaviour of the lumbar spine under a multi-axial vibration in a whole-body environment. A whole-body finite element model, including skin, soft tissues, the bone skeleton, internal organs and a detailed ligamentous lumbar spine, was used to provide a whole-body condition for analyses. The results showed that both vibrations close to vertical and fore-and-aft resonance frequencies would increase the transmission of vibrations in the intervertebral disc, and vertical vibration might have a greater effect on the lumbar spine than fore-and-aft vibration. The larger deformation of the posterior region of the intervertebral disc in a multi-axis vibration environment might contribute to the higher susceptibility of the posterior region of the intervertebral disc to injury. The findings of this study revealed the dynamic behaviours of the lumbar spine in multi-axis vehicle vibration conditions, and suggested that both vertical and fore-and-aft vibration should be considered for protecting the lumbar health of occupational drivers.

Meta-analysis of the effect of whole-body vibration training on the improvement of limb function in patients with Parkinson's disease.

This study aimed to systematically evaluate the effect of whole-body vibration (WBV) training on the improvement of limb function in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). An electronic search was performed on the databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, SCI-hub, ScienceDirect, Embase, IEEE, Medline, Wiley, ClinicaIKey, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP database, Chinese Medical Association, and CBM Database from inception to May 2022 to collect randomized controlled studies on whole-body vibration training for patients with Parkinson's disease. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted the data, and evaluated the quality of the literature, then used ReviewManager 5.4 software for quantitative statistical analysis, including heterogeneity test, sensitivity analysis, risk of bias assessment, combined outcome index effect size and effect size inspection. A total of 9 studies were included in the meta-analysis, including 346 patients, 174 patients in the control group and 172 patients in the observation group. Meta-analysis results showed that, compared with conventional physical therapy or drug therapy alone, whole-body vibration reduced the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRSIII) score and significantly improved the motor function of patients with Parkinson's disease [MD=-2.39, 95% CI (-4.41, -0.37), Z=2.14 (p=0.23)]. Moreover, whole-body vibration significantly improved the walking stability of Parkinson's patients [MD=-1.96, 95% CI (-2.71-1.21), Z=1.17 (p=0.03)]. However, its improvement in balance ability [MD=-0.06, 95% CI (-0.77, 0.65), Z=1.07 (p=0.19)] and daily living ability [MD=0.03, 95% CI (-1.68, 0.74), Z=0.24 (p=0.87)] of patients, it was not t statistically significant. Compared with conventional therapy, WBV has certain advantages in improving the balance function and gait performance of PD patients, but the effect on balance ability and daily living ability is not significant. Thus, more high-quality research is required for further verification.

Measuring vibration and shock in power wheelchairs for clinical application

ABSTRACT Research evidence demonstrates the negative effects of Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) and correlation between exposure to WBV and detriment to health. ISO Standard 2631-1 (1997) is the accepted standard for human exposure to WBV in vehicle vibration, and provides vibration guidelines for health and comfort. These standards have not been applied to power wheelchairs (PWC), and no clinical tool exists that measures vibration levels during live power wheelchair driving. This study measures WBV and shock levels during PWC driving, considering the impact of terrains, base configurations, and seat cushions. A sensor tag accelerometer was used to measure vibration and shock in three different PWC configurations driven over seven different terrains. Data was collected for two runs per wheelchair, per terrain type, per cushion type. Differences were significant (p < .001) for overall mean and median peak vibration compared across the seven terrains, and for overall mean vibration for basic and enhanced cushions. Differences were also noted in mean and peak vibration in the three different base configurations (p = .0052). Results were compared with ISO 2631-1 guidelines. Mechanical shock on certain terrains created peak vibration levels with likely health risk. Results from this study can inform PWC prescription process.

Effects of whole-body vibration on sensorimotor deficits and brain plasticity among people with chronic ankle instability: a study protocol for a single-blind randomized controlled trial

BackgroundChronic ankle instability (CAI) is a form of musculoskeletal disease that can occur after a lateral ankle sprain, and it is characterized by pain, recurrent ankle sprains, a feeling of “giving way” at the ankle joint, and sensorimotor deficits. There has been increasing evidence to suggest that plastic changes in the brain after the initial injury play an important role in CAI. As one modality to treat CAI, whole-body vibration (WBV) has been found to be beneficial for treating the sensorimotor deficits accompanying CAI, but whether these benefits are associated with brain plasticity remains unknown. Therefore, the current study aims to investigate the effect of WBV on sensorimotor deficits and determine its correlation with plastic changes in the brain.MethodsThe present study is a single-blind randomized controlled trial. A total of 80 participants with CAI recruited from the university and local communities will be divided into 4 groups: whole-body vibration and balance training (WBVBT), balance training (BT), whole-body vibration (WBV), and control group. Participants will be given the WBV intervention (25-38 Hz, 1.3-2 mm, 3-time per week, 6-week) supervised by a professional therapist. Primary outcome measures are sensorimotor function including strength, balance, proprioception and functional performance. Brain plasticity will be evaluated by corticomotor excitability, inhibition, and representation of muscles, as measured by transcranial magnetic stimulation. Activation of brain areas will be assessed through functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Secondary outcome measures are self-reported functional outcomes involving the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool and the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure. All tests will be conducted before and after the WBV intervention, and at 2-week follow-up. Per‑protocol and intention-to-treat analysis will be applied if any participants withdraw.DiscussionThis is the first trial to investigate the role of brain plasticity in sensorimotor changes brought by WBV for individuals with CAI. As plastic changes in the brain have been an increasingly important aspect in CAI, the results of the current study can provide insight into the treatment of CAI from the perspective of brain plasticity.Trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2300068972); registered on 02 March 2023.

Impacts of Whole-Body Vibration on Muscle Strength, Power, and Endurance in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were conducted to identify the effectiveness of whole-body vibration (WBV) on strength, power, and muscular endurance in older adults. However, the results of different studies are contradictory. To verify the impacts of the WBV on strength, power, and muscular endurance in older adults. The search was carried out in PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, LILACS and PEDro databases. Methodological quality was assessed using the PEdro scale. Meta-analysis calculations were performed using the standardized mean difference, comparing WBV with control groups and WBV with other types of exercise. Thirty-four studies were included in the current systematic review. Most studies (56%) had low methodological quality (PEDro score < 6). WBV, compared with control groups, has significant effects on muscle strength of knee extensors and flexors, lower limb extensors, and ankle plantar flexors. There were no differences between WBV and other types of exercise. Subgroup analyzes demonstrated that, in general, the significant results observed in the primary analyzes were not dependent on body position during vibration, kind of vibration, cumulative dose or magnitude of WBV. WBV was effective in increasing lower limb muscle strength. However, no significant results were observed for upper limb strength, lower limb power, and lower and upper limb muscle endurance in older adults. However, more studies are needed to better understand the physiological impacts of WBV in older.

Effect of Whole Body Vibration on Postural Balance and Gait Functions in Elite In-line Skaters

Effect of Whole Body Vibration on Postural Balance and Gait Functions in Elite In-line Skaters

Whole body vibration accelerates the functional recovery of motor nerve components in sciatic nerve-crush injury model rats.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of whole body vibration (WBV) on the sensory and motor nerve components with sciatic nerve injury model rats. Surgery was performed on 21 female Wister rats (6-8 weeks) under intraperitoneal anesthesia. The nerve-crush injuries for the left sciatic nerve were inflicted using a Sugita aneurysm clip. The sciatic nerve model rats were randomly divided into two groups (n=9; control group, n=12; WBV group). The rats in the WBV group walked in the cage with a vibratory stimulus (frequency 50 Hz, 20 min/day, 5 times/wk), while those in the control group walked in the cage without any vibratory stimulus. We used heat stimulation-induced sensory threshold and lumbar magnetic stimulation-induced motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) to measure the sensory and motor nerve components, respectively. Further, morphological measurements, bilateral hind-limb dimension, bilateral gastrocnemius dimension, and weight were evaluated. Consequently, there were no significant differences in the sensory threshold at the injury side between the control and WBV groups. However, at 4 and 6 weeks postoperatively, MEPs latencies in the WBV group were significantly shorter than those in the control group. Furthermore, both sides of the hind-limb dimension at 6 weeks postoperatively, the left side of the gastrocnemius dimension, and both sides of the gastrocnemius weight significantly increased. In conclusion, WBV especially accelerates the functional recovery of motor nerve components in sciatic nerve-crush injury model rats.

Effect of Whole Body Vibration Therapy on Spasticity, Balance, Fine and Gross Motor Functions in Patients with Spastic Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review of RCTs

Context: Cerebral palsy is condition that is caused by neurological damage, which leads to problems in the somatosensory systems. It can cause spasticity in the involved muscles leading to poor function, limitations in range of motion, poor balance and coordination. Therapeutic use of whole-body vibration therapy for the management of the mentioned symptoms have been reported in the literature. This review study examines the effect of whole-body vibration on spasticity, balance and function and summarizes the effective protocols of whole-body vibration therapy for the cerebral palsy patients. Methods: Three following databases were searched comprehensively: Pubmed, PEDro and Cochrane. The selection criteria for the research papers were based on; (1) human studies with Patient-Intervention-Comparison-Outcomes-Study design (PICOS) method, according to which, P = spastic cerebral palsy; I = Whole Body Vibration; C = comparison with conventional/traditional physiotherapy; O = dynamic balance, spasticity, functional balance, fine and gross motor hand function, hand grip strength, Balance Quantification and Range of Motion; and S = Randomized controlled trials, (2) Published in English Language (3) Full Text Available (4) The PEDro scale on which the score is greater than 4 out of 10. Results: Nine RCTs were included based on the inclusion criteria. This systematic review showed that whole body vibration therapy can produce positive therapeutic effects on spasticity, balance, fine and gross motor function, muscle strength and range of motion. This modality can be used independently or in combination with the conventional physical therapy. No harm has been reported in the literature. Conclusion: It can be concluded that whole body vibration therapy is safe, cost effective and fairly simple therapeutic modality that can be used at home or in clinical settings to produce a significant change in spasticity, static and dynamic balance, motor function and range of motion. Keywords: Balance, Cerebral Palsy, Motor Function, Spasticity, Whole body vibration therapy

Impacts of whole-body vibration on denervated skeletal-muscle atrophy in rats.

Whole-body vibration has been considered as a countermeasure against muscle atrophy. However, its effects on muscle atrophy are poorly understood. We evaluated the effects of whole-body vibration on denervated skeletal muscle atrophy. Whole-body vibration was performed on rats from Day 15 to 28 after denervation injury. Motor performance was evaluated using an inclined-plane test. Compound muscle action potentials of the tibial nerve were examined. Muscle wet weight and muscle fiber cross-sectional area were measured. Myosin heavy chain isoforms were analyzed in both muscle homogenates and single myofibers. Whole-body vibration resulted in a significantly decreased inclination angle and muscle weight, but not muscle fiber cross-sectional area of fast-twitch gastrocnemius compared to denervation only. In denervated gastrocnemius, a fast-to-slow shift was observed in myosin heavy chain isoform composition following whole-body vibration. There were no significant changes in muscle weight, muscle fiber cross-sectional area, and myosin heavy chain isoform composition in denervated slow-twitch soleus. These results imply that whole-body vibration does not promote recovery of denervation-induced muscle atrophy.

127 Quantification of frequency, amplitude, and transmission from equine whole body vibration platform

Whole body vibration (WBV) is commonly utilized across the equine industry, yet a lack of standardization in vibration platforms and vibrational transmission across the equine body has made interpretation of results across studies difficult. Furthermore, vibrational transmission across the equine body is poorly understood and is a key consideration when interpreting the effects of WBV. This work quantifies vibration platform output despite the ambiguous metrics associated with plate input, establishes normative values for transmission to various equine tissues, and demonstrates criterion future equine WBV studies should consider measuring and reporting as part of their study. Baseline measurements of frequency and amplitude were taken using triaxial accelerometers on a vibration platform (TheraPlate, Weatherford, Texas) without a horse at the 20%, 50%, and 80% input levels. A horse was subsequently placed on the vibration platform with one accelerometer placed on the front left hoof, and a second accelerometer placed on the left cannon bone, withers, sacrum, and left back hoof at each input level measured. The maximum frequency (64.2 Hz) associated with the maximum amplitude (20.69 m/s2) of vibration was found to be stable within input levels at each anatomical part of the horse in comparison to the hoof, with relative differences from 0% to 0. 94%. As expected, the frequency associated with themaximum amplitude increased as the input levels increased from 20% to 50% and 80%. Peak acceleration amplitude was more variable but exhibited consistent attenuation as the accelerometer increased in distance from the vibration platform. The greatest attenuation observed was at the withers, which was 16.25 m/s2 to 0.07 m/s2 from hoof to withers, respectively. A maximal value in amplitude of 17.76 m/s2 was observed at the 50% input level with no further resonant peaks before the 80% input level. Therefore, increasing the input level beyond 50% does not guarantee that the amplitude of vibration will increase. A reduction in amplitude experienced in the equine body dorsal to the extremities indicates that vibration transmission is greatly attenuated and may not be effective in eliciting a physiological response higher up on the body. The similarity of baseline vibration platform input to the measurements with a horse present indicates a horse on the platform does not greatly impact the equipment's performance. Future studies in equine WBV should consider reporting at minimum platform frequency and amplitude in addition to vibrational transmission to equine anatomical parts of interest.

Acute Effects of Whole-Body Vibration on Quadriceps Isometric Muscular Endurance in Middle-Aged Adults: A Pilot Study

This study analysed the acute effects of whole-body vibration (WBV) on quadriceps isometric muscular endurance. Fifteen healthy middle-aged males performed an endurance isometric strength test after three different warm-up conditions: static half squat plus WBV (HSV), static half squat without WBV (HS), and control condition (CC). The endurance isometric strength test consisted of 10 maximal isometric contractions held for 4 s and interspersed by 2 s of rest between each repetition. Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) was assessed after warm-up (RPE1) and at the end of the testing session (RPE2). During each testing session, participant’s heart rate (HR) was continuously recorded. For each trial, the mean force across the 10 repetitions and fatigue index were evaluated. Mean force was significantly higher (p &lt; 0.01) in CC than in the other two conditions. Both RPE1 and RPE2 were significantly lower (p &lt; 0.01) in CC than HSV and HS condition. Warm-up HR and the mean testing session HR were significantly lower in CC than the other two conditions (p &lt; 0.01). No significant differences were observed in fatigue index between conditions (p &gt; 0.05) or in HR during the endurance protocol. Performing half-squat with or without vibration stimuli does not increase isometric muscular endurance and does not influence fatigue index.

Analysis of lumbar spine injury with different back inclinations under whole-body vibration: A finite element study based on whole human body models

Whole-body vibration was found to be a cause of low back pain. Different back inclinations might change the forces on the lumbar spine, resulting in different responses to the vibration. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of back inclinations on the lumbar spine from the perspective of analysing the internal loads and deformations on the intervertebral discs. Whole human body finite element models at 90°, 95°, 100°, 105°, 110° and 115° inclinations were used to provide a whole-body condition when predicting the behaviour of the lumbar spine. Von Mises stress on the annulus fibrosus, intradiscal pressure, and intervertebral disc height were extracted. The Risk Factors were calculated to evaluate the spinal injury risk under long-term vibration conditions. The results showed that the internal loads and deformations on the intervertebral disc decreased and then increased with the increase of the inclination, and the responses were lower at the 95° and 100° inclinations. The Risk Factors at different inclinations at the 3 Hz load were 0.61, 0.49, 0.53, 0.58, 0.58, and 0.69, respectively, at the 7 Hz load were 0.97, 0.66, 0.71, 0.86, 0.87, and 0.97, respectively, which also showed that injury risk was at a lower level at 95° and 100° inclinations. This study found a relationship between injury risk and back inclination. Occupational drivers are advised to choose a back inclination between 95° and 100° to reduce the possible adverse effects of whole-body vibration during the working condition.

Effects of Whole-Body Vibration and Manually Assisted Locomotor Therapy on Neurotrophin-3 Expression and Microglia/Macrophage Mobilization Following Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury in Rats

Microglial cells play an important role in neuroinflammation and secondary damages after spinal cord injury (SCI). Progressive microglia/macrophage inflammation along the entire spinal axis follows SCI, and various factors may determine the microglial activation profile. Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) is known to control the survival of neurons, the function of synapses, and the release of neurotransmitters, while also stimulating axon plasticity and growth. We examined the effects of whole-body vibration (WBV) and forms of assisted locomotor therapy, such as passive flexion-extension (PFE) therapy, at the neuronal level after SCI, with a focus on changes in NT-3 expression and on microglia/macrophage reaction, as they play a major role in the reconstitution of CNS integrity after injury and they may critically account for the observed structural and functional benefits of physical therapy. More specifically, the WBV therapy resulted in the best overall functional recovery when initiated at day 14, while inducing a decrease in Iba1 and the highest increase in NT-3. Therefore, the WBV therapy at the 14th day appeared to be superior to the PFE therapy in terms of recovery. Functional deficits and subsequent rehabilitation depend heavily upon the inflammatory processes occurring caudally to the injury site; thus, we propose that increased expression of NT-3, especially in the dorsal horn, could potentially be the mediator of this favorable outcome.

Effect of Whole-Body Vibration Exposure in Vehicles on Static Standing Balance after Riding

This study aims to investigate the effects of whole-body vibration (WBV) exposure on the disturbance of standing balance function assuming that the cause of slip, trip and fall accidents in the land transportation industry is related to WBV exposure when traveling in vehicles. In the experiment, ten participants underwent 60 min of virtual driving in a driving simulator (DS) for WBV exposure. In addition, standing balance measurements were conducted before exposure, immediately after exposure, 2 min after exposure and 4 min after exposure. Four conditions were considered by combining two magnitudes of WBV exposure and the driver and passenger conditions. This study focused on two indexes of standing balance, namely, total length and enveloped area and the rate of change relative to the value before the vibration exposure was calculated. The rate of change remained almost constant at 1.0 in the control condition without vibration exposure, whereas that under vibration exposure conditions varied. Interestingly, the rate of change at 2 min after exposure remained high in the driver condition, but it decreased to almost 1.0 in the passenger condition. Since no difference appeared in the vibration acceleration measured at the seating surface between the driver and passenger conditions, it was believed that the difference between the driving and passenger conditions was related to fatigue caused by the accelerator-pedal operation. As a result of considering the percentage of the standing balance that returned to 1.0 after 4 min in most conditions, this study proposed that a rest period of several minutes be allowed from the experiment in which the participants were exposed to vibration at 0.5m/s2 rms for 60 min at the DS. Further basic experiments will be conducted to introduce another WBV exposure assessment, including loss of standing balance as a health indicator, to ISO 2631-1.

Effect of Whole-Body Vibration During Chemotherapy in Improving Functional Outcomes of Patients with Malignancies

The use of functional outcome scales to see the effect of whole-body vibration on the patients having malignancies and going through chemotherapy. Objective: To perform a systematic review to see the effects of whole-body vibration on patients having chemotherapy. Methods: Using the specified keywords, a search was conducted in the TRIP, PEDro and PubMed databases. The studies were picked based on their eligibility for evaluation. The articles having full length were included which specified the effect of whole-body vibration technique in the patients having malignancies and going through chemotherapy. Results: According to the exclusion criteria, three publications were included, all related to patients having chemotherapy. Reported were the effects of WBV both in sensory and motor symptoms. Conclusions: It was concluded that by using the whole-body vibrator the debilitating effects of the chemotherapy can be controlled or minimized such as fatigue, weakness and bone loss. It is comparative to high intensity exercises which account behavioral barriers and certain risks

Whole-body vibration ameliorates glial pathological changes in the hippocampus of hAPP transgenic mice, but does not affect plaque load

BackgroundAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is the core cause of dementia in elderly populations. One of the main hallmarks of AD is extracellular amyloid beta (Aβ) accumulation (APP-pathology) associated with glial-mediated neuroinflammation. Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) is a passive form of exercise, but its effects on AD pathology are still unknown.MethodsFive months old male J20 mice (n = 26) and their wild type (WT) littermates (n = 24) were used to investigate the effect of WBV on amyloid pathology and the healthy brain. Both J20 and WT mice underwent WBV on a vibration platform or pseudo vibration treatment. The vibration intervention consisted of 2 WBV sessions of 10 min per day, five days per week for five consecutive weeks. After five weeks of WBV, the balance beam test was used to assess motor performance. Brain tissue was collected to quantify Aβ deposition and immunomarkers of astrocytes and microglia.ResultsJ20 mice have a limited number of plaques at this relatively young age. Amyloid plaque load was not affected by WBV. Microglia activation based on IBA1-immunostaining was significantly increased in the J20 animals compared to the WT littermates, whereas CD68 expression was not significantly altered. WBV treatment was effective to ameliorate microglia activation based on morphology in both J20 and WT animals in the Dentate Gyrus, but not so in the other subregions. Furthermore, GFAP expression based on coverage was reduced in J20 pseudo-treated mice compared to the WT littermates and it was significantly reserved in the J20 WBV vs. pseudo-treated animals. Further, only for the WT animals a tendency of improved motor performance was observed in the WBV group compared to the pseudo vibration group.ConclusionIn accordance with the literature, we detected an early plaque load, reduced GFAP expression and increased microglia activity in J20 mice at the age of ~ 6 months. Our findings indicate that WBV has beneficial effects on the early progression of brain pathology. WBV restored, above all, the morphology of GFAP positive astrocytes to the WT level that could be considered the non-pathological and hence “healthy” level. Next experiments need to be performed to determine whether WBV is also affective in J20 mice of older age or other AD mouse models.

Long-term whole-body vibration induces degeneration of intervertebral disc and facet joint in a bipedal mouse model.

Background: Whole body vibration (WBV) has been used to treat various musculoskeletal diseases in recent years. However, there is limited knowledge about its effects on the lumbar segments in upright posture mice. This study was performed to investigate the effects of axial Whole body vibration on the intervertebral disc (IVD) and facet joint (FJ) in a novel bipedal mouse model. Methods: Six-week-old male mice were divided into control, bipedal, and bipedal + vibration groups. Taking advantage of the hydrophobia of mice, mice in the bipedal and bipedal + vibration groups were placed in a limited water container and were thus built standing posture for a long time. The standing posture was conducted twice a day for a total of 6hours per day, 7days per week. Whole body vibration was conducted during the first stage of bipedal building for 30min per day (45Hz with peak acceleration at 0.3g). The mice of the control group were placed in a water-free container. At the 10th-week after experimentation, intervertebral disc and facet joint were examined by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), histologic staining, and immunohistochemistry (IHC), and gene expression was quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Further, a finite element (FE) model was built based on the micro-CT, and dynamic Whole body vibration was loaded on the spine model at 10, 20, and 45Hz. Results: Following 10weeks of model building, intervertebral disc showed histological markers of degeneration, such as disorders of annulus fibrosus and increased cell death. Catabolism genes' expression, such as Mmp13, and Adamts 4/5, were enhanced in the bipedal groups, and Whole body vibration promoted these catabolism genes' expression. Examination of the facet joint after 10weeks of bipedal with/without Whole body vibration loading revealed rough surface and hypertrophic changes at the facet joint cartilage resembling osteoarthritis. Moreover, immunohistochemistry results demonstrated that the protein level of hypertrophic markers (Mmp13 and Collagen X) were increased by long-durationstanding posture, and Whole body vibration also accelerated the degenerative changes of facet joint induced by bipedal postures. No changes in the anabolism of intervertebral disc and facet joint were observed in the present study. Furthermore, finite element analysis revealed that a larger frequency of Whole body vibration loading conditions induced higher Von Mises stresses on intervertebral disc, contact force, and displacement on facet joint. Conclusion: The present study revealed significant damage effects of Whole body vibration on intervertebral disc and facet joint in a bipedal mouse model. These findings suggested the need for further studies of the effects of Whole body vibration on lumbar segments of humans.

The effect of whole-body vibration on lower extremity function in children with cerebral palsy: A meta-analysis.

The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the effect of whole-body vibration training on lower limb motor function in children with cerebral palsy in randomized-controlled trials (RCTs). Two independent reviewers systematically searched the records of nine databases (PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, EMBASE, CNKI, etc.) from inception to December 2022. Tools from the Cochrane Collaboration were used to assess risk of bias. Standard meta-analyses were performed using Stata 16.0 and Revman 5.3. For continuous variables, the arms difference was calculated as the weighted mean difference (WMD) between the values before and after the intervention and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Of the 472 studies identified, 13 (total sample size 451 participants) met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis showed that WBV training could effectively improve GMFM88-D [WMD = 2.46, 95% CI (1.26, 3.67), P<0.01] and GMFM88-E [WMD = 3.44, 95% CI (1.21, 5.68), P = 0.003], TUG [WMD = -3.17, 95% CI (-5.11, -1.24), P = 0.001], BBS [WMD = 4.00,95% CI (3.29, 4.71), P<0. 01] and the range of motion of ankle joint and the angle of ankle joint during muscle reaction in children with cerebral palsy. The effect of WBV training on 6MWT walking speed [WMD = 47.64, 95% CI (-25.57, 120.85), p = 0.20] in children with cerebral palsy was not significantly improved. WBV training is more effective than other types of conventional physical therapy in improving the lower limb motor function of children with cerebral palsy. The results of this meta-analysis strengthen the evidence of previous individual studies, which can be applied to the clinical practice and decision-making of WBV training and rehabilitation in children with cerebral palsy.

Biomechanical effect of vibration on a fused lumbar spine with different stabilisers

This study aimed to compare the effects of whole-body vibration on the biomechanics of a fused lumbar spine with different posterior stabilisers, including an interspinous process spacer (IPS) and a bilateral pedicle screw system (BPSS). A finite-element model of lumbar interbody fusion with an IPS or a BPSS at the L4–L5 level was constructed based on a healthy human whole lumbar spine. Transient dynamic and static analyses were employed to compute the dynamic responses of deformation and stress for the models to a sinusoidal axial vibration load of ±40 N and its corresponding static axial loads (−40 and 40 N), respectively. The results showed that for both the IPS and BPSS models, the vibration amplitudes of the responses were significantly higher than the corresponding changing amplitudes under static loads. The increasing effect of vibration load on endplate stress at L4–L5 reached 128.3 and 146.0% for the IPS and BPSS models, respectively. In contrast, the increasing effects of vibration load on disc bulge and annulus stress at adjacent L3–L4 were nearly the same for these two models. This indicates that the vibration sensitivity of a fused level is lower when using an IPS compared with that when using a BPSS, but there is no obvious difference in the vibration sensitivity of the adjacent level when using these two stabilisers.

The Effect of Whole-Body Vibration on Pulmonary Function and Cerebral Cortical Activity in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

The Effect of Whole-Body Vibration on Pulmonary Function and Cerebral Cortical Activity in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease