The Use of Vibration Exercise in Clinical Populations

Performing exercise on a vibrating platform has gained popularity over the past decade among athletes. The potential therapeutic benefit of vibration also has been studied recently in clinical populations, although its clinical use began much earlier, in the 1940s, with the use of a special bed that delivered mechanical vibration to prevent bone loss in immobilized subjects (43). Further development was undertaken more than 30 years later in Eastern Europe, with ‘‘biomechanical stimulation’’ being used with Russian cosmonauts to prevent muscle atrophy and osteopenia while in space. At about the same time, localized vibration was applied in gymnasts to enhance strength and flexibility (17). Subsequently, the physiological effects of recreational whole body vibration (WBV) were studied, and efficacy trials were conducted to assess its influence on muscular strength. Despite its history, the mechanisms underlying vibratory exercise and its advantages over regular exercise remain unclear. Recent reviews offer contradictory conclusions, suggesting ‘‘no or only minor additional effects on muscle strength and jump performance’’ (26) to ‘‘greater strength improvement compared with conventional resistance training’’ (23). Methodological problems, common to almost every study, hinder internal validity and the variability among protocol limit comparisons. Recently, there has been growing interest in the use of vibration in clinical populations to improve health and functional capacity, moving beyond the focus on elite athletes and strength. Clinical trials have been developed in patients with neurological, musculoskeletal, and metabolic diseases and outcomes other than strength (e.g., balance, proprioception, pain, body composition, quality of life, and disease severity) have been studied.