Safety, feasibility and efficacy of side‐alternating vibration therapy on bone and muscle health in children and adolescents with musculoskeletal disorders: A pilot trial

Abstract

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.