Six weeks of whole-body vibration improves fine motor accuracy, functional mobility and quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis

Anne Krause; Kyungsoo Lee; Daniel König; Michael Faist; Kathrin Freyler; Albert Gollhofer; Ramona Ritzmann

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0270698

Six weeks of whole-body vibration improves fine motor accuracy, functional mobility and quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis

PLoS One. 2022 Jul 11;17(7):e0270698. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270698. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Anne Krause^{1

2}, Kyungsoo Lee¹, Daniel König^{1

3}, Michael Faist⁴, Kathrin Freyler¹, Albert Gollhofer¹, Ramona Ritzmann^{1

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Sport Science, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
² Institute of Training and Computer Science, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
³ Department of Sport Science and the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
⁴ Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
⁵ Department of Biomechanics, Praxisklinik Rennbahn, Muttenz, Switzerland.

Abstract

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) suffer from sensorimotor deficits with the distal extremities being more severely affected than proximal ones. Whole-body vibration (WBV) training is known to enhance voluntary activation and coordination in healthy people. However, evidence about beneficial effects of WBV in MS patients is scarce. The current study aimed to investigate if six weeks of WBV enhances motor function in the ankle joint, coordination and quality of life in patients suffering from severe MS. In a longitudinal design, changes in motor function and quality of life were assessed before and after a 6-week control period without a training (CON) and a 6-week WBV training (2-3x/week) in 15 patients (53 ±10 years) with advanced MS (EDSS 3-6.5). Before CON (t0), after CON (t1) and after WBV(t2), outcome measures included (1) active range of motion (aROM) and (2) motor accuracy at the ankle joint, (3) functional mobility (Timed "Up & Go" test with preferred and non-preferred turns) and (4) physical and psychological impact of MS (MSIS-29 questionnaire). For (1) and (2), the stronger (SL) and the weaker leg (WL) were compared. After WBV, aROM (1) did not change (SL p = 0.26, WL p = 0.10), but was diminished after CON (SL -10% p = 0.06, WL -14% p = 0.03) with significant group differences (Δgroup WL p = 0.02). Motor accuracy in SL (2) was improved during dorsal flexion after WBV (p = 0.01, Δgroup p = 0.04) and deteriorated during plantar flexion after CON (p = 0.01, Δgroup p = 0.04). Additionally, participants (3) improved their functional mobility at the preferred turn (p = 0.04) and (4) ranked their quality of life higher solely after WBV (p = 0.05), without any differences between groups. However, values correlated significantly between angular precision and aROM as well as functional mobility. No further changes occurred. The results point towards an interception of degenerating mono-articular mobility and improvement of accuracy in the ankle joint. The motor effects after WBV are in line with enhanced perception of quality of life after six weeks which is why WBV could be a stimulus to enable greater overall autonomy in MS patients.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Exercise Therapy / methods
Humans
Multiple Sclerosis* / therapy
Quality of Life
Vibration / therapeutic use

Associated data

Dryad/10.5061/dryad.ngf1vhhwv

Grants and funding

This trial was funded by the Aenne-Speck Foundation (grant number 01/2016). The Aenne-Speck Foundation is an independent organization which supports research in MS patients. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The article processing charge was funded by the Open Access Publication Fund of the University of Freiburg.