Effects of Whole-Body Vibration Therapy in Weight-Bearing and Non-Weight Bearing Positions for Upper and Lower Extremities on Balance and Cervical Joint Position Sense in Children With Cerebral Palsy

TL;DR

This study shows that whole-body vibration therapy improves balance and joint position sense in children with cerebral palsy, especially when applied to both upper and lower limbs in weight-bearing positions.

Contribution

The study identifies the most effective application method of WBVT for improving balance and cervical joint position sense in children with cerebral palsy.

Findings

WBVT significantly improved balance and cervical joint position sense in children with cerebral palsy.

Simultaneous application of WBVT to upper and lower extremities in weight-bearing positions showed the most significant improvements.

All tested WBVT positions demonstrated statistically significant benefits compared to baseline.

Abstract

Introduction: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a complex pathological entity that affects muscular control, coordination, proprioception, fine and gross motor abilities, position, stability, and, in some cases, cognition. This study aimed to compare the effects of whole-body vibration therapy (WBVT) in weight bearing and non-weight bearing positions for the upper and lower extremities on balance and cervical joint position sense in children with spastic CP.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial was carried out on 60 hemiplegic children with spastic CP aged 5-15 years. Following randomization, all participants were allocated into six equal-sized groups based on the application of WBVT for upper extremities, lower extremities, or both simultaneously in either weight-bearing or non-weight-bearing positions. Pediatric balance scale (PBS) and laser tracker system were used to assess functional balance and cervical joint position sense.

Results: One-way analysis of variance for Inter-group analysis showed a statistically significant difference among all groups in PBS and cervical joint position sense (p<0.05).

Conclusion: WBVT was found to be beneficial in improving balance and cervical joint position sense in both weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing positions for the upper and lower extremities in children with cerebral palsy. However, the simultaneous application of WBVT in weight-bearing positions for both upper and lower extremities showed the most significant improvements in improving both balance and cervical joint position sense, indicating the most efficacious position of this treatment approach in children with cerebral palsy.

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