Focal muscle vibration and action observation: a combined approach for muscle strengthening

Muscle strength is essential for autonomy in daily activities and performance in sports activities. Yet, conventional strength training is challenging during recovery from pathological conditions. This study investigates a novel combined intervention employing Focal Muscle Vibration (FMV) and Action Observation (AO) to enhance muscle strength. Twenty-seven healthy volunteers (18 females and 9 males, aged 22 to 42 years) were enrolled for an intervention-control study comparing 2 groups: the intervention group received AO treatment with FMV on the right leg, and the control group underwent only FMV on the right leg.  This design allowed the comparison of four conditions: FMV+AO (intervention group, right leg), AO alone (intervention group, left leg), FMV alone (control group, right leg), and no-treatment NT (control group, left leg). The treatment, conducted five times a week (Mon-Fri) for two weeks, involved a 20-minute session of FMV on the right quadriceps,  coupled, for the intervention group, with the observation of a gym training video. The assessments of Maximum Voluntary Contraction (MVC), and fatigue coefficient (FC) expressed at knee extension bilaterally were measured at the beginning (T0), after the first week (T1), at the end of treatment (T2), and one-week post-intervention for the follow-up (T3). The FMV+AO group demonstrated a significant improvement in MVC over time, reaching statistical significance at T2 and maintaining the gain at T3. In contrast, all the other conditions demonstrated milder MVC increases without statistical significance. FC did not differ significantly in any condition. The combination of FMV and AO optimized muscle strengthening, offering insights for targeted treatments in various settings.