EFFECTS OF WHOLE BODY VIBRATION ON THE FUNCTIONAL MOBILITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF INDIVIDUALS WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Background: Parkinson's disease, with its evolution, leads to progressive disorders that compromise the functional mobility of the affected individuals. The whole body vibration as a rehabilitation tool seems to be a promising alternative in Parkinson's disease. Objective: The aim of this study was to verify the effect of VCT on functional mobility and quality of life in individuals with Parkinson's disease. Methods: Ten individuals (four men and six women) diagnosed with Parkinson's disease were evaluated before and after a protocol of 10 training sessions on a vibrating platform using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) in the domains: balance, gait, limb strength and Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire -PDQ39. The pre and post-intervention data were compared using the using the ANOVA test for repeated and post-hoc Bonferroni measurements (p <0.05). Results: Those evaluated had an average age of 70.00 ± 9.68 years and an average disease evolution time of 3.38 ± 1.51 years. The whole body vibration increased the SPPB scores in all domains: balance (10%), gait (31%), lower limbs (35%) and total strength (23%), and reduced the total scores of the PDQ- 39 (23%). Conclusions: It was concluded that the suggested vibration protocol was able to improve the functional capacity and quality of life of individuals with Parkinson's disease.