Vibration therapy for Parkinson's disease: Charcot's studies revisited.
The 19th century neurologist, J-M Charcot, used a vibration chair for treating Parkinson's disease (PD). He documented improvement, but few subsequent studies examined vibration treatment. Using a specialized lounge chair, we conducted a rater blinded, randomized trial of body vibration vs. no vibration in 23 PD patients. The primary outcome measure was change from baseline in the motor section of the MDS-UPDRS. Both vibration and no vibration groups significantly improved after one month of daily treatments. However, there was no significant difference between the two treatment groups, suggesting that non-specific or placebo factors had an effect on PD motor function.
Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
Sachin S
SS
Kapur
Glenn T
GT
Stebbins
Christopher G
CG
Goetz
D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000266:history / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000266:history / Q000295:instrumentation; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014732:Vibration / Q000627:therapeutic use*