Effects of repeated vibratory stimulation of wrist and elbow flexors on hand dexterity, strength, and sensory function in patients with chronic stroke: a pilot study.
Won-Ho Choi
PMID 28533593WHAT IT FOUND
In 10 patients, vibration to wrist and elbow flexors did not beat traditional physical therapy.
Both groups improved hand dexterity, but grip strength was not shown to improve and sensation was unchanged.
Key findings
01Hand dexterity improved within both groups: the vibration group went from 18.6 to 22.2, and the traditional physical therapy group from 20.4 to 21.8 on the box-and-block test.
02Grip strength changed little: the vibration group went from 11.9 to 12.6, and the control group from 11.8 to 11.9; the study did not find a clear improvement.
03Sensory testing showed no change: the vibration group was 3.6 mm before and after, and the control group was 3.9 mm before and after.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Only 10 patients were included, with 5 in each group. The paper did not say whether participants or testers knew which treatment was given, or how the random selection was done. The traditional physical therapy control was not described, so it is unclear what the comparison group actually received. Participants had to be able to grasp, score above 24 on a cognition screen, and have sensory testing below 6.65 mm, so it says little about more impaired patients. The authors say the 4-week duration may have been too short to change grip strength or sensation. Muscle activation during the task was not measured.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict-of-interest declaration is included in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that vibratory stimulation caused the dexterity gain. The traditional physical therapy group also improved, from 20.4 to 21.8 blocks, and the study did not show vibration was better.