Whole-Body Vibration Exercise for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Objectives. To assess the effects of WBV exercise on patients with KOA. Methods. Eight databases including Pubmed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science, the Physiotherapy Evidence Database, CNKI, and Wanfang were searched up to November 2014. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of WBV for KOA were eligible. The outcomes were pain intensity, functional performances, self-reported status, adverse events, and muscle strength. A meta-analysis was conducted. Results. Five trials with 168 participants provided data for the meta-analysis. No significant difference was shown in pain intensity and self-reported status between WBV and other forms of exercise. Improvement in functional performance (evaluated by BBS; WMD, 2.96; 95% CI, 1.29 to 4.62; P = 0.0005) was greater in WBV group, but the other parameters of functional performance (including 6MWT and TGUG) revealed no statistically significant difference. Adverse events were only reported in one trial and no significant difference was discovered in muscle strength. The overall quality of evidence was very low. Conclusion. Currently there is only limited evidence that suggested that WBV is effective in the treatment of KOA. Large, well-designed RCTs with better designs are needed.

C57BL/6 mice are resistant to joint degeneration induced by whole-body vibration

“…Raising further concern regarding the use of WBV, clinical trials show conflicting reports regarding the ability of WBV to increase bone mineral density 1,8 . Similarly, clinical trials investigating the effectiveness of WBV for knee or back pain have failed to show conclusive evidence, with only a small proportion of trials showing benefits based on assessments of patient self-reported pain 3,9 . A cause for concern is that the widespread use of WBV has not been validated with rigorous research-based evidence addressing the broad range of parameters used and potential harmful effects.…”

Whole-body vibration of mice induces articular cartilage degeneration with minimal changes in subchondral bone

“…Clinical trials have recently evaluated the therapeutic effect of WBV on joint pain and functional performance in patients with chronic knee OA 17 . A number of studies report beneficial effects including reduced pain intensity, increased muscle strength, and reductions in the plasma concentrations of inflammatory markers in OA patients following WBV training 18,19 . Conversely, some trials reported no significant improvements in pain intensity or other parameters among knee OA patients following WBV 19 .…”

“…A number of studies report beneficial effects including reduced pain intensity, increased muscle strength, and reductions in the plasma concentrations of inflammatory markers in OA patients following WBV training 18,19 . Conversely, some trials reported no significant improvements in pain intensity or other parameters among knee OA patients following WBV 19 . Importantly, in these studies joint health was not directly assessed.…”

Comparison of whole-body vibration training, strength training and health education on physical function and neuromuscular function of individuals with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized clinical trial

“…As a type of strength exercise, WBV training has been proposed for the treatment of KOA. However, several systematic reviews about the effect of WBV for KOA were explored, thereby leading to dispersed results [ (3,28,29,39)].…”