Effect of Whole Body Vibration with Stretching Exercise on Active and Passive Range of Motion in Lower Extremities in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Increasing the range of motion in joints is considered to be one of the most long term concerns in the treatment of cerebral palsy (CP). Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of using whole body vibration (WBV) as a new therapeutic approach, with stretching exercises on the range of motion in lower extremities in children with CP. Methods: In this single-blind clinical trial, 20 children aged 4 to 12 years were enrolled. Participants were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Control group received only passive static stretching exercise and experimental group received passive static stretching with WBV. Exercises were performed 3 times a week for 6 weeks. To collect data, Goniometry, modified Ashworth scale and 6 MinuteWalk Test were used. Results: The results of this study indicated that, stretching withWBV, increases active range of motion in hip flexion, abduction and ankle dorsal flexion and also can improve speed of walking in children with CP. Conclusions: According to the findings, the use of WBV can be considered as an effective treatment in increasing the range of motion and walking speed in CP children.