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Updated: Aug 23, 2025
Author Spotlight: Implementing the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Concept in Rehabilitation Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Published on: March 1, 2024
Does the Addition of Whole-Body Vibration Training Improve Postural Stability and Lower Limb Strength During
Patrick Lawrence Rowe1, Semih Taflan2, Andrew John Hahne3
1Centre for Health, Exercise & Sports Medicine, Department of Physiotherapy, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Objectives:
To investigate whether the addition of whole-body vibration therapy to standard rehabilitation improves postural stability and lower limb strength following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.
Data Sources:
A computer-based literature search of MEDLINE, AMED, SPORTDiscus, Embase, CINAHL, CENTRAL, and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) included studies up to October 2019.
Main Results:
Seven randomised controlled trials of moderate-to-high methodological quality involving 244 participants were included. Meta-analysis found statistically significant improvements in medial-lateral stability [standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.50; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.12-0.88] and overall stability (SMD = 0.60; 95% CI, 0.14-1.06) favoring whole-body vibration therapy, but effects were not significant for quadriceps strength (SMD = 0.24; 95% CI, -0.65 to 1.13), hamstring strength (SMD = 0.84; 95% CI, -0.05 to 1.72), lower limb strength (SMD = 0.76; 95% CI, -0.16 to 1.67), or anterior-posterior stability (SMD = 0.19; 95% CI, -0.39 to 0.76).
Conclusions:
The addition of whole-body vibration therapy to standard postoperative rehabilitation following ACL reconstruction does not appear to significantly improve lower limb strength and anterior-posterior stability but may improve medial-lateral and overall postural stability. We found small sample sizes in all included trials, statistical heterogeneity, and methodological quality concerns, including publication bias, suggesting that larger high-quality trials are likely to be influential in this field. Registration: PROSPERO 155531.
