Use of whole-body vibration as osteoporosis treatment in postmenopausal women: a systematic review

Introduction. The use of whole-body vibration (WBV) has increased in the therapeutic field for patients with osteoporosis, however, there is still some controversy about its real effects. Aim. to perform a systematic review on the use of WBV for improving bone mineral density and effects of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Material and methods. the search was conducted by two researchers in the MEDLINE/PubMED and SciELO databases. It was included in the study clinical trials that dealt with the influence of vibration platform treatment on osteoporosis in the Portuguese and English languages published since 2006. Results. Ten selected clinical trials were found in a total of 405 articles. There are heterogeneous results owing to the divergences of the study. Six articles presented benefits of treatment with WBV in bone parameters, one article with changes in balance and muscle strength and three with no effects after treatment. Conclusion. It is concluded that the use of WBV was presented as an option in the treatment of osteoporosis, however, studies using homogeneous methodologies are needed to compare the actual benefits of using them.