Effects of vibration therapy on muscle mass, muscle strength and physical function in older adults with sarcopenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

European Review of Aging and Physical Activity

Xin-Yin Wu¹  Su-Mei Xiao²  Hong-Wen Deng³  Shuang Wu⁴  Ming-Yue Hu⁴  Hong-Ting Ning⁴  Hui Feng⁵ 

[1] Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Xiangya school of Public health, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan province, China;Department of Public health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China;School of basic medical science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan province, China;Xiangya school of nursing, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan province, China;Xiangya school of nursing, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan province, China;Xiangya-Oceanwide Health Management Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, China;

关键词: Sarcopenia;    Vibration therapy;    Intervention;    Muscle mass;    Muscle strength;    Physical performance;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s11556-020-00247-5

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundSarcopenia, a progressive loss of muscle mass and function with advancing age, is a prevalent condition among older adults. As most older people are too frail to do intensive exercise and vibration therapy has low risk and ease of participation, it may be more readily accepted by elderly individuals. However, it remains unclear whether vibration therapy would be effective among older adults with sarcopenia. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effect of vibration therapy including local vibration therapy and whole-body vibration therapy, for enhancing muscle mass, muscle strength and physical function in older people with sarcopenia.MethodsA systematic literature search was conducted in March 2019 in the following 5 electronic databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PEDro, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, with no restriction of language or the year of publication. Randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies examining effects of vibration therapy on muscle mass, muscle strength or physical function in older adults with sarcopenia were included in this systematic review. Two reviewers independently assessed the methodological quality of the selected studies.ResultsOf the 1972 identified studies, seven publications from six studies involving 223 participants were included in this systematic review. Five of them conducted whole-body vibration therapy, while two conducted local vibration therapy. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies indicated that muscle strength significantly increased after whole-body vibration therapy (SMD 0.69, 95% CI 0.28 to 1.11, I2 = 0%, P = 0.001) and local vibration therapy (SMD 3.78, 95% CI 2.29 to 5.28, P < 0.001). Physical performance measured by the sit-to-stand test and the timed-up-and-go test were significantly improved after the intervention (SMD -0.79, 95% CI − 1.21 to − 0.37, I2 = 0%, P < 0.001) and SMD -0.83, 95% CI − 1.56 to − 0.11, I2 = 64%, P = 0.02, respectively).ConclusionVibration therapy could be a prospective strategy for improving muscle strength and physical performance in older adults with sarcopenia. However, due to the limited number of the included studies, caution is needed when interpreting these results. More well-designed, large sample size studies should be conducted to further explore and validate the benefits of vibration therapy for this population.

【 授权许可】

CC BY