An exploratory study of vibration therapy on muscle function in patients with peripheral artery disease

Objective: The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine whether a single session of vibration therapy (VT) would improve muscular and functional performance in individuals with symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD). Methods: In a randomized, balanced cross-over design fourteen PAD participants with intermittent claudication (mean 6 standard deviation; age, 73.9 +/- 4.6 years; height, 172.6 +/- 68.4 cm; body mass, 85.2 +/- 15.7 kg) performed VT and control that involved repeated chair rises, timed up-and-go test, and 6-minute walk test. Each intervention was separated by at least 2 days. Wearable VT devices were positioned on the right and left lower limbs that were turned on during functional testing but were turned off for the control intervention. Results: VT significantly improved (P < .05) repeated chair rises and timed up-and-go test compared with control with a small effect size of 0.46 and 0.45, respectively. Similarly, a significant (P < .01) and meaningful change in 6-minute walk test was noted in VT compared with control. Conclusions: This exploratory study suggest that VT may enhance functional strength, mobility, and walking performance by extending the onset of claudication and increasing walking distance in PAD with intermittent claudication. However, further study is required to confirm and extend these preliminary findings and determine the potential mechanisms of action in VT.