Effects of Focal Muscle Vibration on Gait and Balance in Parkinson Patients: Preliminary Results

Background: Postural instability has a major impact on the mobility and daily life activities of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients as it often leads to reduced mobility, insecure stance and falls. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of focal vibration on the static and dynamic balance of a group of Parkinson’s disease patients. Methods: Twenty-three idiopathic PD patients (14 M; 9 F), Hoehn and Yahr (HeY) stage II–III, underwent three weeks of focal muscle vibration applied to the quadriceps, soles of the feet and trapezius muscles bilaterally in addition to conventional physiotherapy. The static and dynamic balance was assessed at baseline (T0), after 3 weeks of treatment (T1) and after 1 month from the last treatment (T2) with the Tinetti scale and stabilometry evaluations. Results: There was a statistically significant improvement in the mean Tinetti score at T1, and in the Romberg area (CE/OE) of oscillation and oscillation velocity on the x-axis with the eyes closed at T2. Conclusions: Focal muscle vibration in conjunction with physiotherapy is a useful tool in the rehabilitation of gait and balance disorders of patients with Parkinson’s disease HeY stage II–III.