Effects of Whole-Body Vibration on Spasticity in Patients: A Systematic Literature Review

Objective(s): This literature review aims to investigate the state of evidence among systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials examining the effects of whole-body vibration on patients experiencing spasticity.

Data Sources: Systematic literature searches for reviews and trials between 2012-2022 were performed in the databases of PubMed, Cochrane Library, EBSCO, and Science Direct between April 6 to 19, 2022. Only systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials in English with full abstracts, published full text, and with human subjects were included in the literature review.

Study Selection: 316 titles met the search criteria. After inclusion screening,16 SRs and RCTs were downloaded.

Data Extraction: The PEDro scale was utilized to identify randomized controlled trials with a higher degree of internal validity and possess statistical strength for quality methodology. Seven studies with a total of 522 subjects met methodological guidelines but did not meet PEDro score requirements of > 7.

Data Synthesis: A total of 316 articles were screened, and 9 studies with a total population of n = 361 were included. There were statistically significant improvements reported in terms of reduction in spasticity with WBV in 4 of the studies (n=185). Conversely, no clinically significant differences were found in the use of WBV on reducing spasticity in 4 of the studies (n=140), and no effects were found in 1 of the studies (n=36). The results suggest that there is inconclusive evidence on the efficacy of WBV in terms of reducing spasticity.

Conclusions: This review of current randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews presented conflicting evidence for recommending WBV for patients experiencing spasticity. While the use of WBV may decrease hypertonicity due to various purported mechanisms, several studies suggest inconclusive evidence of its efficacy in reducing spasticity. Included trials also had inconsistency with dosing parameters hence further exploration of standardized prescription is suggested for future studies.

Author(s) Disclosures: Dr. Baloy has no relevant financial or nonfinancial relationships to disclose.
Dr. Kwan has no relevant financial or nonfinancial relationships to disclose.
Mr. Fung has no relevant financial or nonfinancial relationships to disclose.