Effects of vibration on chronic leg edema in chair-bound older adults: A randomized pilot trial

BackgroundElderly individuals can easily develop leg edema that can become chronic, which may result in various problems. Therefore, appropriate care for the edema should be provided. In some cases, chronic leg edema among elderly individuals cannot be controlled by the standard care such as leg elevation or compression. A previous study reported that vibration benefited upper limb lymphedema; however, its effects on chronic leg edema are not yet clarified. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the effects of vibration for reducing chronic leg edema among chair-bound elderly individuals.MethodsFor participant allocation, a computer-generated list of random numbers was used. Nursing home residents aged ≥65 years with chronic leg edema who spent more time sitting than standing or lying during the day were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 7) or control group (n = 7). The intervention group underwent vibration therapy three times a day for 2 weeks at 47 Hz and 1.78 m/s2 frequency and horizontal vibration acceleration, respectively. The pitting test was performed at 22 sites, and participants’ pitting scores were calculated based on the pitting depth. Pitting score changes at pre- and post-intervention were compared between the intervention and control groups. Both participants and investigators were not blinded to group assignment.ResultsThe median age of the intervention and control groups was 86 and 84 years, respectively. Participants’ characteristics and edema severity at baseline were not significantly different. The median total pitting score change in the intervention group was −0.4 (interquartile range: −5.3–1.8), which was significantly lower than that of the control group (2.0 [interquartile range: 1.0－5.3], P = 0.01). The intervention group was more likely to have controlled edema (64.3%) than the control group (21.4%) (χ2 (1) = 5.25, P = 0.02).ConclusionsThe intervention group was more likely to have controlled edema than the control group, suggesting that vibration could prevent the worsening of chronic leg edema in chair-bound elderly individuals.Trial registration: UMIN Clinical Trials Registry, UMIN000017716. Registered 1 July 2015, https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000020522