Whole-Body Vibration Training Designed to Improve Functional Impairments After Pediatric Inpatient Anticancer Therapy: A Pilot Study

Purpose To assess a whole-body vibration (WBV) intervention for children after cancer treatment. Methods Eleven children after inpatient anticancer therapy participated in a 12-week supervised WBV intervention, which consisted of one 9- to 13-minute WBV session per week, with 5 to 9 minutes' overall vibration time. Feasibility was defined as the ability to participate in WBV training without reporting adverse events. The number of offered and completed training sessions, program acceptance, and measures of function were assessed. Results Nine participants completed the WBV intervention without any WBV-related adverse events. The adherence rate was 87.96%. Only minor side effects were reported and there was general program acceptance. We found indications that WBV has positive effects on knee extensor strength and active ankle dorsiflexion range of motion. Conclusions WBV was feasible, safe, and well received among children after inpatient anticancer therapy. No health deteriorations were observed. Positive effects need to be confirmed in future trials.