Effects of whole-body vibration therapy on perception thresholds of type 2 diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy: a randomized controlled trial

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of whole-body vibration training on perception thresholds in type 2 diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy. [Subjects and Methods] Fifty-nine patients with diabetic neuropathy participated in the study. They were randomly divided into the experimental group (n=29) and the control group (n=30). The experimental group performed whole-body vibration training, whereas the control group performed only lower body training in the same posture without using whole-body vibrator for 6 weeks. Perception threshold variables were measured to examine the effect of training. [Results] Warm and cold pain thresholds did not show significant changes in both groups before and after training. Vibration perception threshold showed significant improvement in the experimental group. [Conclusion] Our findings suggest that whole-body vibration training can improve vibration perception threshold of type 2 diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy.