title: Functional recovery after experimental spinal cord compression and whole body vibration therapy requires a balanced revascularization of the injured site.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Based on several positive effects of whole-body-vibration (WBV) therapy on recovery after SCI, we looked for correlations between functional (analysis of locomotion), electrophysiological (H-reflex) and morphological (density of functioning capillaries) measurements after SCI and WBV-treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Severe compression SCI at low-thoracic level (T8) in adult female Wistar rats was followed by WBV twice a day (2 × WBV) over a 12-week post-injury period. Intact rats and rats with SCI but no WBV-therapy ("No-WBV") served as controls. Recovery of locomotion was determined by BBB-locomotor rating, foot stepping angle (FSA), rump-height index (RHI), correct ladder steps (CLS) and H-reflex at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks after SCI. Animals were sacrificed by an overdose of Isoflurane (Abbott). One hour later their spinal cords were fixed in 4% PFA for 24 h. Samples from the thoracic cord containing the lesion site and from the lumbar intumescence were cut into 10 μm thick longitudinal frozen sections.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All functioning capillaries were unequivocally identified because the endogenous peroxidase of the erythrocytes was clearly visualized with 0.05% diaminobenzidine (DAB). A determination of their absolute (in μm2) and proportional areas (percent of photographed tissue) revealed a significantly denser capillary network in the WBV-treated rats: 1,66 ± 0,41% in the "vibrated" rats versus 0,79 ± 0,19% in the "No-WBV" animals. The portion of the capillary network in intact rats was 1,51 ± 0,69%. Surprisingly, even though the vascularization in the treated animals was significantly increased, this had no beneficial influence on the recovery of functions after SCI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study provide for the first time evidence that intensive WBV-therapy leads to a significantly denser capillary network in the lesioned spinal cord. However, since this higher capillary density is not associated with improved functional recovery (possibly because it exceeded the balance necessary for functional improvements), optional treatments with lower intensity or less time of WBV-therapy should be tested.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manthou
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy I, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nohroudi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy I, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moscarino
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy I, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rehberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy I, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy I, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Abdulla
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand-, Plastic-, and Reconstructive Surgery with Burn Unit, BG- Trauma Centre, University of Tuebingen, Germany.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jaminet
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Semler
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schoenau
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy I, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Angelov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002196:Capillaries / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006181:H-Reflex / Q000502:physiology; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D011897:Random Allocation; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae; D014732:Vibration / Q000627:therapeutic use*
keywords: DAB; Spinal cord injury; angiogenesis; functional parameters; functional recovery; morphological changes; rehabilitation; revascularization; whole body vibration