Cystic Fibrosis: Improvement of Muscle Force and Function by Whole Body Vibration Exercise

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the most common chronic hereditary disease in Caucasians. Due to improved therapy and better understanding of the disease, life expectancy has risen to an average of 38 years and is continuing to rise. With the increased life-expectancy it becomes even more important to maintain functional activity as part of quality of life. Mechanical stimulation in form of whole body vibration (WBV) is a new type of exercise currently tested in sports, geriatrics and rehabilitation. It has recently been found to be a safe and efficient method to activate muscular activity via stretch reflexes leading to improvement of muscular performance, body balance and physical functioning.

10 patients of the CF Center Cologne, Germany, took part in the Galileo study. They were provided by the vibrating platform (Galileo 2000)for whole body vibration training at home. The patients were standing in an upright position receiving vertical vibration of frequencies between 20-25 Hz. This vibration exercise evokes muscle contractions via stretch reflexes improving muscular activity. The training schedule consisted of three 3-minute sessions twice a day 5 days per week for 3 months.

Every 4 weeks the patients were seen for assessment of muscle function to evaluate the effects of this new intervention.