The effects of whole body vibration combined biofeedback postural control training on the balance ability and gait ability in stroke patients.
Yo-Han Uhm, Dae-Jung Yang
PMID 29200649WHAT IT FOUND
Adding whole body vibration to biofeedback postural control training improved step length more than biofeedback alone or aero-step combinations.
Balance limits improved in all groups, but the vibration group showed the greatest gains in gait.
Key findings
01The whole body vibration group had significantly greater step length improvements than both the aero-step group and the biofeedback-only group.
02Limits of stability improved significantly in all three groups, but the whole body vibration and aero-step groups improved more than the biofeedback-only group.
03Step length increased from a mean of 24.71 cm to 29.98 cm in the whole body vibration group after 8 weeks.
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
The study population had chronic stroke (more than 3 months post-event), so results may not apply to acute stroke patients as suggested in the discussion. The sample size was small (10 per group), which limits the generalizability of the findings. The paper does not report the specific dosage (frequency or duration) of the whole body vibration or aero-step interventions within the 8-week period.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest or funding sources were explicitly declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume whole body vibration is superior to all other active treatments; the aero-step group also showed significant improvements, and the difference in balance limits between the vibration and aero-step groups was not the primary focus of the between-group comparison for stability.