Whole body vibration exercise training for fibromyalgia

Area of Science:

• Integrative medicine
• Rehabilitation
• Neurology

Background:

• Exercise training is a common recommendation for adults diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
• Whole body vibration (WBV) exercise involves using an oscillating platform for exercise stimulus.
• This review updates previous findings on WBV exercise for fibromyalgia from 2002.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the potential benefits and harms associated with WBV exercise training in adults diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
• To assess the impact of WBV on health-related quality of life (HRQL), pain, stiffness, fatigue, and physical function.

Main Methods:

• A systematic search of multiple databases (Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Embase, etc.) was conducted up to December 2016.
• Included were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing WBV interventions against control or other interventions in adult fibromyalgia patients.
• Data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and GRADE approach for quality of evidence were performed independently by two reviewers.

Main Results:

• Four studies with 150 participants were included; most were middle-aged females from one country.
• WBV plus mixed exercise showed potential improvements in HRQL, pain intensity, fatigue, and stiffness, meeting a 15% clinical relevance threshold in one study.
• Evidence quality for all outcomes was judged as very low due to imprecision, wide confidence intervals, and risk of bias concerns; major outcomes like physical function were often unmeasured.

Conclusions:

• The superiority of WBV, alone or with mixed exercise, over control or other interventions for fibromyalgia remains uncertain.
• Very low-quality evidence, stemming from small sample sizes and methodological limitations, precludes definitive conclusions on WBV efficacy and safety.
• Further high-quality research is necessary to establish the role of WBV exercise in managing fibromyalgia.