Purpose: to study the effect of whole body mechanical vibration (WBMV) exercise alone or combined with auriculotherapy (AT) in the pain and in the range of movement of the knees of participants with knee osteoarthritis. Authors have reported that these interventions can reduce the pain and increase the muscle strength in various clinical situations. Materials and Methods: The level of pain was evaluated by the visual analogue scale and the range of movement of the knees by goniometry. In five weeks protocols, in the AT intervention, ear points (Shenmen, Kidney, corresponding point-Knee) were stimulated by two seeds (Semen vaccariae), approximated diameter of 1 mm that were previously in an adhesive tape and they were changed every week. The control group had no seeds in the ear's lobe adhesive tape. All the participants were instructed to use the fingers to press (manually) the adhesive tapes for 10 min, three times per day (six days) and to remove the tapes (7th day) before returning to the laboratory. In WBMV intervention, the biomechanical parameters of the mechanical vibration were (i) peak-to-peak displacement (D) with 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5 mm and (ii) frequency ranging from 5 Hz on the first day, increasing by 1 Hz per session, ending with 14 Hz in the last session. The working time was 3 min with 1 min of rest. The evaluations were performed (i) before and after the first session (acute effect) and (ii) before the first (5 Hz) and after the last (14 Hz) session (cumulative effect). Results: A significant (p<0.05) decrease of the level of pain in the participants with knee osteoarthritis treated with WBMV exercise and with the combined intervention (WBMV and AT) was found in the acute and cumulative effects. The pain was importantly reduced due to WBMV exercise alone about 50% and reduced about 16% in the combination with AT, in the acute intervention. In the cumulative intervention, the pain was strongly reduced about 60% due to WBMV exercise alone and about 37% in the combination with AT. Possibility, this decrease in the effect may be related to inhibitory/competitive actions of the two interventions. In the control groups, no alteration on the level of the pain was observed. The range of the movement (knee´s flexion) was not altered in the participants of the all groups. Conclusion: It is possible to conclude that the level of the pain was decreased (acute and cumulative effects), with both interventions, WBMV exercise alone or combined with AT, However, more studies are need to widespread the use of these forms of treatment.

Background. Appropriate management, including pulmonary rehabilitation, associated with correct diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in patients can contribute to improving clinical conditions of these patients. Physical activity is recommended for COPD patients. Whole-body vibration (WBV) is a modality of physical activity. Putting together the biological effects and safe use of WBV, it may be a potentially feasible intervention to add to pulmonary rehabilitation. The purpose of this investigation was to systematically review studies regarding the effects of WBV, as a component of the pulmonary rehabilitation, in patients with COPD. Results. A total of six publications met inclusion for review. There was evidence to support the beneficial use of WBV to improve functional performance of the lower limbs and quality of life. However, the appropriateness of and descriptors of WBV methods were poorly described. Conclusions. The results of this review support the use of WBV as a component of pulmonary rehabilitation to assist management of patients with COPD. However, future research should examine the dose-response curve and optimal dosing regimen of WBV according to standard reporting recommendations for people with COPD. Such an approach will allow comparison among studies and the potential of meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Menopause is a natural phase in a woman's aging process. Menopause leads to the decrease of the estrogen levels, and in consequence the functionality worsening. Physical exercise can improve the functionality of postmenopausal woman. This review aimed to assess the effect of whole-body vibration exercise (WBVE) on the functionality of postmenopausal women. Methods: PRISMA guideline were used. Only English language were considered. Searches were conducted using relevant keywords for papers prior to Sep 16th, 2021, in Embase, Pubmed, The Cochrane Library, PEDro, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, Web of Science and CINAHL databases. Results: Eight articles were selected to be in this systematic review. The mean score of methodological quality was moderate, the risk of bias was low for two studies, high for four studies, and unclear for two studies. The level of evidence of the studies was II. Improvements on muscle strength, jump, balance and maximum trunk flexion strength in the post menopause woman were reported. Conclusion: This systematic review demonstrated the functionality increase in postmenopausal women through WBVE. WBVE has been recommended as a non-pharmacological option relevant to postmenopausal management, helping to control the decline in bone density and symptoms related to osteoporosis and sarcopenia. However, further studies are needed to reinforce these findings.