Table 5.

Conclusive effects of vibration therapy

Clustering of parameters	Acute adaptations: effects of VT after a single bout	Chronic adaptations: effects of VT after weeks and months of application
Neuromuscular parameters
Spasticity, reflex activation, muscle tone, cocontraction of antagonists	Reduced spasticity in dorsal extensors, plantar flexors,35 knee flexors,31,36 knee extensors,36,38 and hip adductors36 assessed in static and dynamic measures, reduced H-reflex15 and muscle-spindle stretch reflex amplitude32 in muscles vibrated, reduced muscle hypertonicity of antagonists,31,38 reduced cocontraction of ankle and knee muscles32	Reduced spasticity in dorsal extensors, plantar flexors,36,53 knee extensors,36,49,53,59 and hip adductors36 assessed in static and dynamic measures
Voluntary activation	Increased voluntary activation of ankle and knee muscles,32 spontaneous activation of weak muscles,31 and paraspinal muscle activation,30 improvements in voluntary motor control31,32 and coordination32 approaching normative values of healthy subjects31
Kinesthesia	Improved joint-position sense,31,37 awareness of level of muscle contraction,31,37 body image,31 and awareness of body segments31	Improved segmental position sense in the ankle joint58
Functional parameters
GMFM, total score, particular dimensions, particular tasks	Increased movement speed,31 edurance,30 precision,31 and spontaneous movement of weak musculature,31 improved recognition of body parts,31 pronunciation,31 and feeding patterns,31 increased memory of motor acts31 and repeatability after breaks31 of VT	Increased GMFM66 total score,55,56,58 improvement in all GMFM88 dimensions:56 C (sitting),63 D (standing),49,59,63 and E (walking)49,59
Strength, torque, work, force, power, particular tasks	Increase in voluntary muscle power in upper and lower extremities,31 increased duration for head-erect behavior,30 reduced time to accomplish a sit-to-stand test36	Increased concentric peak torque,49,51 eccentric peak torque,49 concentric49 and eccentric work,49 and increased muscle force55,57,59 (in upper and lower limb musculature), chair-rising: reduced time to accomplish the required number of repetitions48
Gait, spatiotemporal characteristics, joint kinematics, complex locomotor movements	Increased gait speed34 and walking distance,38 augmented stride length,34 increased angular excursion in the limb joints,34 reduced time to accomplish TUG38	Increased gait speed48,50,52,54,58 walking distance,46,48,53,59 walking abilty,53 walking agility,53 and number of steps,63 augmented stride length,50 increased step length54 and width,58 reduced relative stance time,64 cycle time,50 and gait symmetry,54 increased dorsiflexion and plantar flexion,50 reduced hip flexion,64 and pelvic tilt anteversion64
Posture control and balance	No effects of VT36	No effects of VT,36,58 improved postural stability,51 increased verticality in upright stance55
Mobility	Increased active and passive range of motion in the ankle34,38 and knee joints32,38	Increased active and passive range of motion in the ankle,50 knee,49 and hip joints64
Quality of life	Increased well-being31	Increased daily activity57
Structural components
Muscle thickness, lean body mass		Increased muscle thickness of shank thigh muscles48,50 and lean mass of limbs,48 trunk,48 and whole body without head48,55
BMD, BMC		Increased BMD in vertebral bodies,48,60 limbs,57,48 and total body48 and BMC in lumbar spine,48 limb,48,57 and whole body without head48,55

Note: Note that table sums up positive effects of VT only, without considering insignificant study results manifesting no effects.

Abbreviations: VT, vibration therapy; GMFM, Gross Motor Function Measure; TUG, timed up and go; BMD, bone-mineral density; BMC, bone-mineral content.