Clinical trial NCT02306863: Whole-body Vibration as a Treatment for Parkinson's Disease
Official title: The Efficacy of Long-term Whole-body Vibration in the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Phase: NA
Conditions: Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease
Primary Parkinsonism
Keywords: Parkinson's Disease
whole-body vibration
WBV
Lead sponsor: Sun Life Financial Movement Disorders Research and Rehabilitation Centre
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2014-12-03
Enrollment: 60
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: This study will evaluate whether whole-body vibration applied over a 12-week period is effective in treating motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Detailed description: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease resulting in the loss of dopaminergic neurons projecting from the substantia nigra pars compacta to the striatum.

Whole-body vibration (WBV) is potentially beneficial in treating Parkinson's disease because it has been shown to elicit effects specific to both the brain and muscular system. Animal models of PD indicate that whole-body vibration can increase striatal dopamine levels, as well as the number of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. These findings were correlated with increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor.

In addition to the potentially neuroplastic effects, \>20 Hz WBV has been shown to improve muscular performance. Improved muscular performance is believed to be attributed to WBV induced neuromuscular effects rather than muscle hypertrophy, with the specific mechanism defined as the tonic vibration reflex.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosed with idiopathic Parkinson's Disease by a Neurologist
* Currently taking anti-Parkinsonian medication
* Able to stand for 2 minutes without assistance
* Able to walk 10 meters without assistance
* Ability to understand English instructions
* Normal or corrected vision

Exclusion Criteria:

* A neurological disease other than PD
* recent stroke
* cardiovascular disease
* previous major hemorrhage
* artificial pacemaker
* currently pregnant
* Current participation in any physical therapy or experimental treatments
* Peripheral neuropathy, severe osteoporosis
* Visual impairments that cannot be corrected
* Clinically diagnosed with dementia
* Greater than mild dementia (screened using Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) \<24 being excluded)

Primary outcomes:
measure: Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) section III
timeFrame: change from baseline, 12 weeks, and 2 week washout
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Gait Assessment
timeFrame: change from baseline, 12 weeks, and 2 week washout
measure: Timed Up & Go (TUG) Test
timeFrame: change from baseline, 12 weeks, and 2 week washout
measure: Timed Grooved Pegboard Task
timeFrame: change from baseline, 12 weeks, and 2 week washout
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Waterloo
country: Canada
facility: Sun Life Financial Movement Disorders Research & Rehabilitation Centre
state: Ontario
Study officials:
affiliation: Wilfrid Laurier University
name: Adam K Koebel, BSc
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Haas CT, Turbanski S, Kessler K, Schmidtbleicher D. The effects of random whole-body-vibration on motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease. NeuroRehabilitation. 2006;21(1):29-36.
citation: Ebersbach G, Edler D, Kaufhold O, Wissel J. Whole body vibration versus conventional physiotherapy to improve balance and gait in Parkinson's disease. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2008 Mar;89(3):399-403. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2007.09.031.
citation: King LK, Almeida QJ, Ahonen H. Short-term effects of vibration therapy on motor impairments in Parkinson's disease. NeuroRehabilitation. 2009;25(4):297-306. doi: 10.3233/NRE-2009-0528.