Postpolio Syndrome Clinical Trial
Official title:
The Effect of Adding Whole-Body Vibration Exercises to Home Exercise Program on Muscle Strength in Patients With Postpolio Syndrome
Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a neurological disease that affects polio survivors at least 15 years after the initial polio infection. PPS is characterized by new neurological deficiencies after a period of neurological stability, especially at least 1 decade after the initial infection. PPS may manifest as new, persistent, and progressive muscle weakness, atrophy, limb fatigability, myalgia, arthralgia, and dysphagia, but also as generalized fatigue, which typically has a considerable impact on the patients' quality of life. Whole body vibration (WBV) has become a popular form of exercise therapy especially among elderly individuals, in past decades. This training method is performed by standing on a vibrating platform which is supposed to activate muscle contractions. WBV has been studied in neurologic populations with stroke, Parkinson's disease, cerebral palsy, incomplete spinal cord injury, and multiple sclerosis.Our aim was to investigate the effectiveness of whole-body vibration (WBV) exercises performed with home exercise program and patient education in patients with postpolio syndrome (PPS) on muscle strength, fatigue, quality of life and laboratory parameters by comparing them with home exercise program and patient education alone.
Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a neurological disease that affects polio survivors at least 15
years after the initial polio infection. The description of PPS is attributed to Jean-Martin
Charcot in 1875 but was only widely recognized in the early 1980s [1].
PPS is characterized by new neurological deficiencies after a period of neurological
stability, especially at least 1 decade after the initial infection. PPS may manifest as new,
persistent, and progressive muscle weakness, atrophy, limb fatigability, myalgia, arthralgia,
and dysphagia, but also as generalized fatigue, which typically has a considerable impact on
the patients' quality of life. The estimates of the percentage of polio patients affected by
PPS are inconsistent, varying between 20 and 85% depending on the diagnostic criteria applied
[1].
Despite its prevalence, post-polio syndrome remains surprisingly under-researched. People
with PPS generally have fewer options for exercise because it may exacerbate PPS symptoms
such as pain, fatigue, and muscle weakness [2].
The pathophysiological framework relating to the genesis of PPS is based on the theory of
super training, considering that shortly after an episode of acute poliomyelitis, the
remaining motor neurons increase the number of sprouts for the reinnervation of muscle fibers
after they have been denervated. About two to three decades after the acute episode, there is
a tendency to overload this system, that can be accelerated depending on individual factors
especially the activities and exercises carried out that promote overuse of the affected
muscles. In this case of overuse and super training, an intense metabolic demand in the
residual motor units occurs, which then triggers a process of secondary neuronal death, and
active inflammatory process is present in the spinal cord with increased level of cytokines
in the cerebrospinal fluid but without any convincing evidence of viral reactivation. Another
hypothesis for the genesis of PPS is that it results from an autoimmune disorder, a theory
that is reinforced by the presence of anti-neurofilament antibodies in the cerebrospinal
fluid [1, 3, 4].
There is an ongoing process of denervation and reinnervation in the muscle fibers of motor
units that survived in PPS patients. Excessive physical activity accelerates the loss of
motor units. Therefore, it is very important to plan the exercise so as not to cause
additional harmful effects on the integrity of the muscle and survived motor units, to ensure
maximal improvement and to prevent overload.
In Cochrane review published in 2015, Koopman et al. reported that data on the effectiveness
of muscle strengthening in PPS was controversial. In two studies, it was stated that
strengthening thumb muscles and applying static magnetic field were reliable and effective,
they increased muscle strength, but their effect on functional limitation was unknown. There
is not any available data on the effectiveness of exercise for major muscle groups [5].
Whole body vibration (WBV) has become a popular form of exercise therapy especially among
elderly individuals, in past decades. This training method is performed by standing on a
vibrating platform which is supposed to activate muscle contractions. WBV has been studied in
neurologic populations with stroke, Parkinson's disease, cerebral palsy, incomplete spinal
cord injury, and multiple sclerosis, with del Pozo-Cruz et al. conducting a systematic review
presenting varying results pertaining to impairments, activity limitations, and
health-related quality of life. Limited data is available about the WBV in patients with
polio syndrome [6].
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