Whole body vibration therapy for painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a pilot study

Abstract

The unsatisfactory results associated with conventional treatments for symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) demonstrate a need for research into alternative therapies. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of whole body vibration therapy (WBV) as a treatment for pain associated with DPN. Participants (n = 8) with painful DPN received three treatment sessions per week for four weeks. Each session consisted of four bouts of 3 min of vibration (frequency 25 Hz, amplitude 5 mm). The primary outcome measures were changes in the visual analog pain scale (VAS) and changes in the neuropathic pain scale (NPS). WBV demonstrated a significant (p < 0.05) acute pain reduction in the VAS, and a significant chronic reduction in both the VAS and NPS scales. No side-effects were observed during this study. WBV appears to be an effective, non-invasive treatment for pain associated with DPN.

Keywords: DPN, Diabetic peripheral neuropathy; Diabetic peripheral neuropathy; Gate-control theory of pain; NPS, Neuropathic pain scale; Non-pharmaceutical treatment; VAS, Visual analog scale; Vibration therapy; WBV, Whole body vibration; Whole body vibration.