Effect of whole-body vibration training on body balance in chronic stroke patients

Abstract

Falls are serious problems that disrupt rehabilitation in post-stroke hemiplegic patients.
Approximately 5% of falls result in severe injuries, such as hip fractures. Therefore preventing falls is one of the most important goals of post-stroke rehabilitation. Exercise is generally thought to be effective for the prevention of falls. Whole body vibration (WBV) training has been developed as a new modality that can improve lower extremity muscle strength and body balance in elderly people. However, little is known about the effects of WBV training in hemiplegic patients. The aim of this study was to clarify the effect of WBV training for 4 weeks on chronic stroke patients. Thirty chronic stroke patients were enrolled and allocated to either WBV group (WBV, n=15) or control group (CON, n=15). Difference between these two groups was assessed with the Berg Balance Scale, Fugl-Meyer lower extremity score, knee extension strength and 10m gait time before the training or 4 weeks after of it. Although there were no significant effect on Fugl-Meyer lower extremity score, knee extension strength and 10m gait time, the Berg Balance Scale was significantly improved by the WBV training. These results show that WBV training may have the potential to improve body balance in patients with chronic hemiplegia.