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Updated: Feb 12, 2026

Whole Body Vibration Methods with Survivors of Polio
Published on: October 17, 2018
Whole body vibration on people with sequelae of polio
Carolyn P Da Silva1,2, C Lauren Szot1,2, Natasha deSa2
1a School of Physical Therapy , Texas Woman's University , Houston , TX , USA.
Purpose:
The purpose was to explore the feasibility of whole body vibration (WBV) on polio survivors with/without post-polio syndrome (PPS) by studying its effects on walking speed (10-m walk test), endurance (2-min walk test), pain severity/interference (Brief Pain Inventory [BPI]), sleep quality (Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index), fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale), leg strength (manual muscle testing and hand-held dynamometry), and muscle cramping (written logs).
Methods:
Fifteen individuals completed the study, participating in eight sessions in two 4-week blocks. Participants started with ten 1-min vibration bouts/session, increasing to 20 min. Low (amplitude 4.53 mm, g force 2.21) and higher (amplitude 8.82 mm, g force 2.76) intensity blocked intervention occurred in random order crossover design. Blinded testing ensued before/after intervention blocks and at follow-up.
Results:
No study-related adverse events occurred. Participants starting first with higher intensity intervention improved in walking speed (p = 0.017). BPI pain severity significantly improved (p = 0.049) after higher intensity intervention. No significant changes were found after low intensity vibration or in other outcome measures.
Conclusions:
WBV appears to be a safe exercise for this population. Long-term use in polio survivors needs to be researched, particularly in reducing barriers to participation to promote the physical aspects of health.
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