Effects of whole body vibration with exercise therapy versus exercise therapy alone on flexibility, vertical jump height, agility and pain in athletes with patellofemoral pain: a randomized clinical trial

Ebrahim Rasti; Zahra Rojhani-Shirazi; Naghmeh Ebrahimi; Mohammad Reza Sobhan

doi:10.1186/s12891-020-03732-1

Effects of whole body vibration with exercise therapy versus exercise therapy alone on flexibility, vertical jump height, agility and pain in athletes with patellofemoral pain: a randomized clinical trial

BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2020 Oct 26;21(1):705. doi: 10.1186/s12891-020-03732-1.

Authors

Ebrahim Rasti¹, Zahra Rojhani-Shirazi^{2

3}, Naghmeh Ebrahimi¹, Mohammad Reza Sobhan⁴

Affiliations

¹ Student Research Committee, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
² Department of Physical Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. rojhaniz@sums.ac.ir.
³ Rehabilitation Sciences Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. rojhaniz@sums.ac.ir.
⁴ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.

Abstract

Background: Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is the most prevalent orthopedic problem in active young adults. Due to its multifactorial etiology, a variety of therapeutic measures have been adopted to treat PFP, including exercise therapy, electrotherapy, and manual therapy. It has also been suggested that whole body vibration (WBV) can improve neuromuscular function in persons with knee problems. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of adding WBV to routine exercise programs on flexibility, vertical jump height, agility and pain in athletes with PFP.

Methods: Twenty-four male athletes with PFP were randomized into two groups of WBV + exercise (n = 12) or exercise only (n = 12). Participants received their interventions during 4 consecutive weeks (12 sessions). Pain intensity, flexibility and agility were assessed respectively as score on a numerical rating scale, the sit-and-reach test, and a modified T-test, and vertical jump height was measured to the nearest centimeter. The tests were done before and after the interventions, and the results were compared between the two groups. Independent t-tests and paired t-tests were used for between- and within-group comparisons, respectively.

Results: After the interventions, all variables for vertical jump height, flexibility, agility and pain intensity improved significantly in both groups (p < 0.05). The flexibility test showed significantly greater improvement in the WBV + exercise group (p<0.001), whereas for vertical jump height, agility and pain intensity, there were no statistically significant differences between groups (p>0.05).

Conclusions: The present findings showed that exercise therapy with and without WBV can significantly decrease pain and increase agility, vertical jump height and flexibility in athletes with PFP. Adding WBV to routine exercise therapy, however, can augment the effects of the latter on flexibility.

Trial registration: IRCT, IRCT20090831002391N39. Registered 7 February 2018, https://en.irct.ir/search/result?query=IRCT20090831002391N39 .

Keywords: Agility; Exercise therapy; Flexibility; Patellofemoral pain; Whole body vibration.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

Athletes
Exercise Therapy
Humans
Male
Muscle Strength
Pain
Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome* / diagnosis
Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome* / therapy
Vibration / therapeutic use
Young Adult