Whole body vibration therapy in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy - a prospective observational study.

OBJECTIVES: To study the tolerability of whole body vibration (WBV) exercise in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and its effects on muscle and bone.

METHODS: WBV was performed two to three times a week for three months. Motor function, muscle strength, bone mass and biochemical markers of bone and mineral metabolism were analyzed before and after the WBV period at 0, 3, 6 and 12 months.

RESULTS: Six ambulatory patients with DMD aged 5.7-12.5 years completed the study. No changes in creatine kinase activity were found, indicating that the WBV exercise did not further damage the skeletal muscle. No significant changes in bone mass, muscle strength or bone markers were found. However, there was a non-significant trend for the bone formation marker, bone-specific alkaline phosphate, to increase from a mean of 59 U/L to 73 U/L after three months of WBV. The bone formation marker levels returned to baseline three months after discontinuing WBV and were still at that level after nine months.

CONCLUSIONS: WBV therapy appears to be safe and well tolerated among ambulatory DMD patients. The potential benefits of WBV on bone and muscle in DMD remain to be elucidated.