Journal of Medicine and Medical Science, 2011; 2(1): 594-600

The effects of whole-body-vibration exercises in Parkinson´s disease: a short review

Year: 2011

Nelson S. Pinto, Milena B. Monteiro, Patricia Froes Meyer, Sebastião D. Santos-Filho, Fabiana Azevedo-Santos, Raquel M. Bernardo, Dulciane Paiva, Daiane Thompson, Sotiris, Missailidis, Pedro J. Marín, Christian T. Haas, Mario Bernardo-Filho
Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Departamento de Biofísica e Biometria, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex, progressive and disabling neurodegenerative disorder marked by progressive loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons which is related to a continuous impairment of motor functions. As pharmacological treatments (L-Dopa, Dopamin Agonists) are lowly effective with respect to postural disturbance, and furthermore they lose effectiveness with disease progression potent nonpharmacologic therapies, are of crucial importance for the management of impairments. Besides traditional types of exercise, like strength or endurance training, whole body vibration was found having positive influence on PD motor symptoms. The aim of this work is to present a suitable
review about the published papers found in the PubMed in which there are information about the use of the whole body vibration in patients with PD. Using the keywords “Parkinson’s disease” or “Parkinson’s disease” associated with “whole body vibration” six publications were found. One publication among the six, it was about vibration delivered in the entire body produced by a physioacoustic chair and it was also not analyzed in this work. Five papers among six were selected after a search in the PubMed using the keywords “Parkinson´s disease” and “whole body vibration”. The frequency used in four of these five papers is the same (6Hz). Only a paper presents a frequency of 25Hz. The positive findings indicated in the papers seem in depend on the frequency and they were
found with 6 or 25 Hz. Only in a publication has not presented difference between the clinical conditions in the experimental (whole body vibration) and control (placebo). All the other authors have noticed positive clinical findings using the oscillating platform. It is highly relevant in the development of clinical procedures to the management of patients with PD. As the use of the oscillating platforms is very inexpensive and positive clinical findings have been noticed with the use of whole body vibration in patients with PD, it is suggested to implement the studies involving the application of the exercises
with whole body vibration in oscillating platforms to manage the patients with PD.

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; Whole body vibration, Metaanalysis
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