AIMS

A pilot study was performed to establish the safety, feasibility and efficacy of vibration therapy (VT) on bone and muscle health in children and adolescents with a range of musculoskeletal disorders.

METHODS

Seventeen participants (15.7 years ± 2.9 years), with conditions that impacted on their musculoskeletal health, completed 20 weeks of side-alternating VT for 9 min/session, 4 times/week at 20 Hz. Data were collected at baseline and after 20 weeks of intervention. Assessments included whole-body dual-energyX-ray absorptiometry, muscle function (force plate) and 6-min walk test.

RESULTS

Compliance with the prescribed VT training protocol was relatively high overall at 78% and there were no adverse events reported. After 20 weeks intervention, functional assessments showed time taken to perform the chair test was reduced by 15% (P = 0.018), leg balance improved with standard ellipse area decreasing by 88% (P = 0.006) and distance walked in the 6-min walk test improved by 9% (P = 0.002). Participants displayed increased total body mass (1.94 kg; P = 0.018) with increased lean mass (1.20 kg; P = 0.019) but not fat mass (P = 0.19). There was no change in total body bone mineral density (P = 0.44) or bone mineral content (P = 0.07).

CONCLUSIONS

Twenty weeks of side-alternating VT was a feasible protocol that was associated with improvements in physical function and no detrimental effects on lean mass, bone mass or density in children and adolescents with musculoskeletal disorders.