Whole body vibration and cerebral palsy: a systematic review.

PURPOSE The goal of this review is to evaluate the effects of whole body vibration on outcomes in patients with cerebral palsy. The findings in this review may help clinicians make evidence informed decisions on the use of whole body vibration for cerebral palsy. METHODS A systematic search was conducted on April 29, 2014.The following search terms were used to search of several databases: (whole body vibration OR whole-body vibration OR whole body-vibration OR WBV) AND (cerebral palsy). Articles that met the inclusion criteria were assessed using the Scottish intercollegiate guidelines network (SIGN) rating system to assess the methodology and bias of the articles for randomized control trials. RESULTS The search produced 25 articles, of which 12 duplicates were identified and removed. Another seven articles were not considered since they did not fit the inclusion criteria, leaving a total of five studies for review. Four of the articles analyzed the effects of WBV in children while the other study focused on adults with cerebral palsy. There was one low quality article, four acceptable quality articles and one high quality article when assessed using the SIGN criteria. CONCLUSIONS It appears that whole body vibration has the potential to provide symptomatic relief for patients with cerebral palsy. Whole body vibration may improve spasticity, muscle strength and coordination. There is a lack of research to conclusively determine whether it does alter bone mineral density.