ORIGINAL ARTICLES  CLINICAL MEDICINE 

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2015 January-February;55(1-2):118-27

Copyright © 2015 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Effects of focal vibration on bone mineral density and motor performance of postmenopausal osteoporotic women

Brunetti O. ¹, Botti F. M. ¹, Brunetti A. ², Biscarini A. ³, Scarponi A. M. ⁴, Filippi G. M. ⁵, Pettorossi V. E. ¹ ✉

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Human Physiology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy; ² Department of Clinical Orthopedics and Traumatology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy; ³ Department of Surgical, Radiological and Odontostomatological Sciences, Section of Physical Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy; ⁴ Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Unit of Internal Medicine, Angiology and Arteriosclerosis Diseases, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy; ⁵ Institute of Human Physiology, Catholic University, Rome, Italy

AIM: This randomized double blind controlled study is aimed at determining the effect of repeated vibratory stimuli focally applied to the contracted quadriceps muscles (repeated muscle vibration=rMV) on bone mineral density, leg power and balance of postmenopausal osteoporotic women.
METHODS: The study has been conducted on 40 voluntary postmenopausal osteoporotic women, randomised at 2 groups for rMV treatment and for control. The treatment group underwent rMV (100Hz, 300-500 μm; three applications per day, each lasting 10-minutes, for 3 consecutive days) applied to voluntary contracted quadriceps (VC=vibrated and contracted group). The control group, received a sham stimulation on contracted quadriceps (NV=non vibrated group). Bone mineral density T-score of proximal femur of the participants, was evaluated in two weeks before and 360 days after intervention; body balance and explosive leg power were measured 1 day before, 30 days and 360 days after treatment.
RESULTS: VC group T-score at one year didn’t change significantly relative to baseline values (pretreatment: -2.61±0.11, post-treatment -2.62±0.13); conversely in NV subjects T-score decreased significantly from -2.64±0.15 SD down to -2.99±0.28 SD. A significant improvement of balance and explosive leg power was observed only in VC group at 30 and 360 days after the intervention.
CONCLUSION: We conclude that rMV is a safe, short-lasting and non-invasive treatment that can significantly and persistently improve muscle performance and can effectively counteract progressive demineralisation in postmenopausal and osteoporotic women.