The effects of visual control whole body vibration exercise on balance and gait function of stroke patients.
Eon-Tak Choi, Yong-Nam Kim, Woon-Soo Cho and 1 others
PMID 27942138WHAT IT FOUND
In stroke patients, adding 10 minutes of visual control whole body vibration to 30 minutes of Neuro-developmental treatment improved Functional Reach and Timed Up and Go scores more than Neuro-developmental treatment alone.
Both were given together, so vibration alone cannot be separated.
Key findings
01Functional Reach Test distance increased from 20.3 ± 5.0 cm to 26.8 ± 5.1 cm in the experimental group and from 18.6 ± 11.1 cm to 19.4 ± 9.9 cm in the control group, with a significant between-group difference in change (p<0.05).
02Timed Up and Go Test time decreased from 29.9 ± 15.1 seconds to 20.8 ± 13.8 seconds in the experimental group and from 29.9 ± 17.2 seconds to 28.5 ± 15.9 seconds in the control group, with a significant between-group difference in change (p<0.05).
03The experimental group received Neuro-developmental treatment and visual control whole body vibration with an eye patch together, so the study cannot separate the contribution of any single component of the added treatment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Only 22 individuals were included, so the result may not apply to other stroke patients. Participants had to walk independently over 10 meters and score over 24 on MMSE-K, and had no cognitive, visual, or orthopedic disease, so more impaired patients were not represented. The experimental group received Neuro-developmental treatment and visual control whole body vibration with an eye patch together, so the study cannot separate the contribution of any single component of the added treatment. No follow-up was performed, so the duration of the effects is unknown.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that visual control whole body vibration alone improves balance or gait after stroke. The experimental group received Neuro-developmental treatment and wore an eye patch as part of the added intervention, so the study does not isolate vibration. The sample was small and no follow-up was done.