Effect of Whole-Body Vibration Exercise on Balance in Women with Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Objectives:

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a 6-week “usual care” exercise program supplemented with whole-body vibration (WBV) to improve balance and strength in women with fibromyalgia (FM).

Design:

This was a randomized controlled study.

Settings:

The setting was a physical therapy department in an academic setting.

Subjects:

The subjects were 30 postmenopausal women with FM (age: 59±7.90 years).

Interventions:

Subjects were randomized into one of two groups: an experimental group (EG: n=15), which combined exercise training (2 days a week) with 3 days of WBV, and a control group (CG: n=15), who performed the same exercise training program (2 days a week) but without WBV.

Outcome measures:

Balance and muscle strength were measured at baseline and after the 6-week intervention.

Results:

Significant differences were found (p<0.05) between the study groups for the Medio–Lateral Stability Index (MLSI), when patients were assessed with their eyes open and closed. The effect size of the improvement was large with eyes closed (R ²=0.260) and moderate when the eyes were open (R ²=0.047). However, no significant differences were found (p>0.05) between the study groups for other outcomes.

Conclusions:

Women with FM may increase their MLSI by engaging in a 6-week traditional exercise program with supplementary WBV. This may have implications for falls prevention in this patient group.