The effect of local muscle vibration on clinical and biomechanical parameters in people with knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review

To identify and synthesize available published studies on the effect of local muscle vibration (LMV) on pain, stiffness, and function in individuals with knee OA. 

Five databases were searched to find relevant papers on April 29, 2020, including, PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE (Ovid), Science Citation Index, and COCHRANE Central Register for Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and nonrandomized-controlled-trials (non-RCTs), such as interrupted time series and prospective cohort studies were included. Two independent reviewers screened articles and assessed inclusion through predefined criteria. Participants’ characteristics, study design, intervention characteristics, outcomes, and main results were collected independently by 2 reviewers. The risk of bias assessment of included studies was conducted using Cochrane risk of bias tools for RCTs and non-RCTs.

Six studies were included: 3 RCTs and 3 non-RCTs. The risk of bias in included studies was generally moderate to high. Improvement of pain, stiffness, and function following the application of LMV were reported in all studies.

This review revealed the promising effect of LMV on pain, stiffness, function, and knee range of motion (ROM) improvements for individuals with knee Osteoarthritis (OA) . However, further well-designed studies are required to have a convincing conclusion on the effect of LMV in individuals with knee OA.