Although whole body vibration (WBV) has been used to reduce pain, some studies have indicated that WBV can cause low back pain (LBP). This study provides an overview of the current literature on the use of WBV to treat LBP and its effects on muscle strength, postural stability, and quality of life.
A literature research was conducted using the search terms “Whole Body Vibration” and “Low Back Pain” in the PubMed, PEDro, OVID, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases. All articles published up to November 2021 were included. Articles that did not have WBV as a treatment were excluded. The PEDro score was used to test methodological quality.
Of the 1,686 publications identified in the literature search, 21 studies focused on WBV as treatment for LBP, including 18 original studies, two reviews, and one meta-analysis. Ten of these 21 studies had good methodological quality. Five studies had a WBV duration of 12 weeks and were included in the meta-analysis (muscle strength, postural stability, and quality of life). Standardized mean differences and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. The effects range was from −0.86 to 0.84, favoring experimental groups.
Many positive effects of WBV on LBP were found. Given the effect sizes of the high-quality studies, it is reasonable to assume that WBV is effective for treating LBP.
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