Elsevier

Respiratory Medicine

Volume 106, Issue 1, January 2012, Pages 75-83
Respiratory Medicine

Effects of whole body vibration in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – A randomized controlled trial

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmed.2011.10.021Get rights and content
Under an Elsevier user license
open archive

Summary

Introduction

To date endurance and strength training are established and evidence-based exercise methods in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There is an unmet need for further research in new and complementary exercise modalities. Additional whole body vibration training during pulmonary rehabilitation may be such a new approach that has not yet been investigated in patients with COPD.

Methods

Eighty-two patients (65 ± 9 yrs, FEV1 pred. 38 ± 11%, female 51%) with COPD in GOLD stage III to IV assessed for a 3-week inpatient multidisciplinary rehabilitation program were on top randomly assigned to one of two intervention groups: (1) 3 × 3 min of bilateral dynamic squat exercises on a side-alternating vibration platform at 24–26 Hz three times per week (WBV) and (2) a control group (CON) with the same amount of exercise time without WBV.

Results

Thirty-six patients completed the study in each group. The improvement in 6-min walking distance was significantly higher in the WBV-group when compared to the CON-group (WBV: 64 ± 59 m, CON: 37 ± 52 m with a between-group difference of 27 m [95% CI, 1–53], p = 0.046). The time required for a sit-to-stand test also decreased more markedly in the WBV-group than in the CON-group (WBV: −4.0 ± 4.8 s, CON: −2.0 ± 3.1 s with a between-group difference of −1.9 s [95% CI, −4.0 to 0.1], p = 0.067). Improvements in health-related quality of life were similar in both groups.

Conclusions

WBV training seems to be a promising new exercise modality for patients with COPD and may enhance the effects of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program.

Keywords

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Pulmonary rehabilitation
Exercise
Training
Whole body vibration

Abbreviations

6-MWD
Six-minute-walking-distance
ATS
American Thoracic Society
BODE
The Body-Mass Index Airflow Obstruction Dyspnea and Exercise Capacity Index
BMI
Body-Mass-Index
CON
Control-group
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
CRQ
Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire
DLCO
Diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxid
FEV1
Forced expiratory volume in 1 s
GOLD
Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease
HRQL
Health related quality of life
IQR
Interquartile range
LTOT
Long term oxygen therapy
MCID
Minimal clinical important difference
SST
Sit-to-stand test
WBV
Whole body vibration

Cited by (0)

This trial has been registered in the Clinical Trials registry (identification number NCT01380639).