Effect of whole-body vibration exercise on balance in women with fibromyalgia syndrome: A randomized controlled trial

Objectives: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a 6-week "usual care" exercise program supplemented with whole-body vibration (WBV) to improve balance and strength in women with fibromyalgia (FM). Design: This was a randomized controlled study. Settings: The setting was a physical therapy department in an academic setting. Subjects: The subjects were 30 postmenopausal women with FM (age: 59±7.90 years). Interventions: Subjects were randomized into one of two groups: an experimental group (EG: n=15), which combined exercise training (2 days a week) with 3 days of WBV, and a control group (CG: n=15), who performed the same exercise training program (2 days a week) but without WBV. Outcome measures: Balance and muscle strength were measured at baseline and after the 6-week intervention. Results: Significant differences were found (p<0.05) between the study groups for the Medio-Lateral Stability Index (MLSI), when patients were assessed with their eyes open and closed. The effect size of the improvement was large with eyes closed (R ²=0.260) and moderate when the eyes were open (R ²=0.047). However, no significant differences were found (p>0.05) between the study groups for other outcomes. Conclusions: Women with FM may increase their MLSI by engaging in a 6-week traditional exercise program with supplementary WBV. This may have implications for falls prevention in this patient group.