Efficacy of whole-body vibration on balance control, postural stability, and mobility after thermal burn injuries: A prospective randomized controlled trial

Objective: To investigate the additive effects of whole-body vibration (WBV) training to the traditional physical therapy program (TPTP) on balance control, postural stability, and mobility after thermal burn injuries. Design: A single-blinded, randomized controlled study. Setting: Outpatient physical therapy setting. Participants: Forty participants, 20–45 years old, with deep second-degree thermal burn involving the lower limbs and trunk, with 35%–40% total body service area, were randomly allocated either into the study group or the control group. Intervention: The study group received WBV plus TPTP while the control group received the TPTP only. Interventions were applied three sessions a week for eight weeks. Outcome measures: Anteroposterior stability index (APSI), mediolateral stability index (MLSI), overall stability index (OSI), timed-up and go (TUG), and Berg balance scale (BBS) were measured at baseline and after eight weeks of interventions. Results: There were statistically significant differences in APSI, MLSI, OSI, BBS, and TUG in favor of the WBV group after eight weeks of intervention (P