Stroke
 "It is concluded that whole-body vibration may be a promising candidate to improve proprioceptive control of posture in stroke patients”
Proprioception
Is the sense that indicates whether the body is moving with required effort, as well as where the various parts of the body are located in relation to each other”
One of the main features of the WBV regime is that it significantly influences proprioceptive feedback mechanisms and other neural inputs leading to overall improvements in neuromuscular performance.
"It is therefore likely that the effect of WBV treatment elicited a biological adaptation that is connected to a neural potentiation effect, similar to those reported to occur following resistance and explosive power training. In conclusion, it is suggested that WBV influences proprioceptive feedback mechanisms and specific neural components leading to an improvement of neuromuscular performance".
Australian Journal of Physiotherapy 51: 259–263
Patients with low back pain (LBP) often present with impaired proprioception of the lumbopelvic region. For this reason, proprioception training usually forms part of the rehabilitation protocols. New exercise equipment that produces whole body, low frequency vibration (WBV) has been developed to improve muscle function, and reportedly improves proprioception. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate whether weightbearing exercise given in conjunction with WBV would affect lumbosacral position sense in healthy individuals. For this purpose, twenty-five young individuals with no Lower Back Pain were assigned randomly to an experimental or control group. The experimental group received WBV for five minutes while holding a static, semi-squat position. The control group adopted the same weightbearing position for equal time but received no vibration. A two-dimensional motion analysis system measured the repositioning accuracy of pelvic tilting in standing. The experimental (WBV) group demonstrated a significant improvement in repositioning accuracy over time (mean 0.78 degrees) representing 39% improvement. It was concluded that WBV may induce improvements in lumbosacral repositioning accuracy when combined with a weightbearing exercise. Future studies with WBV should focus on evaluating its effects with different types of exercise, the exercise time needed for optimal outcomes, and the effects on proprioception deficits in LBP patients.
[Fontana TL, Richardson A and Stanton WR (2005): The effect of weightbearing exercise with low frequency, whole body vibration on lumbosacral proprioception: A pilot study on normal subjects. Australian Journal of Physiotherapy 51: 259–263] Key words: Lumbosacral spine, Proprioception, Whole body vibration, 2-D motion analysis, Rehabilitation, Low back pain
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