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Effects of vibration resistance exercise on strength, range of motion, function, pain and quality of life in persons with tennis elbow

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Received: 11 October, 2016 Revised: 26 October, 2016 Accepted: 30 October, 2016
Corresponding a uthor: Won-Seob Shin
Department of Physical Therapy, Daejeon University, 62 Daehak-ro, Dong-gu, Daejeon 34520, Republic of Korea
Tel : 82-42-280-2294 Fax: 82-42-280-2290 E-ma il: shinws@dju.kr
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Copyright © 2016 Korean Academy of Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
https://doi.org/10.14474/ptrs.2016.5.4.16 3
pISSN 2287-7576
eISSN 2287-7584
Phys Ther Rehabil Sci
2016, 5 (4), 163-169
www.jptrs.org
Effects of vibration resistance exercise on strength, range
of motion, function, pain and quality of life in persons with
tennis elbow
Jong-Hun Lima, Won-Seob Shina,b
aDepartment of Physical Therapy, Graduate School of Health and Medicine, Daejeon University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
bDepartment of Physical Therapy, Collage of Health and Medical Science, Daejeon University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of vibration resistance exercise (VRE) in patients with tennis
elbow on strength, range of motion (ROM), function, pain and quality of life (QOL).
Design:
Randomized controlled trial.
Methods:
Twenty-seven participants were randomly assigned to either the VRE group (n=9), weight resistance exercise (WRE)
group (n=9) or control group (n=9). Each group underwent hot compress for 15 minutes and electrotherapy for 15 minutes. The
VRE group underwent exercises using a vibrating ball for 5 minutes. The WRE group underwent exercises using dumbbells for 5
minutes. All participants were evaluated on wrist extension strength using a hand-held dynamometer, grip strength level through
an electric dynamometer, and ROM through a smartphone goniometer application before and after intervention. Patient-rated ten-
nis elbow evaluation, Visual Analogue Scale and Short Form 8 were measured by questionnaires.
Results:
There were showed significant differences among the VRE, WRE and control group in wrist extensor muscle and hand
grip strength, ROM, elbow function, pain and QOL after intervention (p<0.05). The VRE group showed a greater significant im-
provement in wrist extensor muscle strength and elbow function compared with the others (p<0.05). The VRE and the WRE
groups had a more significant improvement in wrist extensor muscle and hand grip strength, ROM and pain compared with the
control group (p<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in QOL among the three groups.
Conclusions:
Combining VRE with thermotherapy and electrotherapy appears to be more effective in improving wrist extension
strength, ROM, elbow function, QOL in tennis elbow patients.
Key W ords:
Strength training, Tennis elbow, Vibration
Introduction
Tennis elbow is a disease that has a variety of different
names, such as lateral epicondylitis, lateral epicondylosis,
lateral epicondylalgia [1,2].
Tennis elbow is an inflammatory disease that commonly
occurs in the common extensor tendon located in the outer
elbow [3]. Tennis elbow an endemic that mainly occurs in
the dominant hand of adults between the ages 35-54 years
old [4], is prevalent within 1%-3% of the adult population
[5], and has no specific differences between men and women
[6]. Tennis elbow is one of the most common muscu-
loskeletal diseases that occurs mainly in the outer elbow [7]
with pain perceived in the outer elbow during resisted wrist
and finger extension [2].
Pain is often radiated into the wrist and forearm [8]. These
impairments produce handgrip weakness, and with pain oc-
curring during wrist movements in the radial deviation, the
use of the hand is restricted during daily life activities [8].
Pain occurring with tennis elbow is generally long-lasting,
Original Article
164
Phys Ther Rehabil Sci 5(4)
and pain is likely to recur in the next few days even after re-
covery [9,10]. These problems lead to several other prob-
lems in life in which the ability to perform personal tasks and
activities at home are impaired, thus contributing to eco-
nomic loss, and subsequently reducing quality of life [11].
Physical therapy intervention for acute tennis elbow in-
cludes cold therapy, heat therapy for chronic conditions, re-
laxation and ultrasound, microwave therapy, electrical stim-
ulation, muscle stretching, strengthening exercises, and use
of a brace [12]. In addition, taping of the muscles in the el-
bow region [13] joint mobilization technique [2,14] are also
known to be effective treatment techniques. Dynamic ex-
ternal resistance exercises are performed using weights or
dumbbells for strengthening and rehabilitation exercises as
a musculoskeletal intervention.
When lowering or lifting a certain weight load, muscle
pain arises due to maximum load being put at only one point
within the joint range of motion, which can lead to diffi-
culties in performing exercises for tennis elbow treatment [15].
Vibration treatment is effective in improving motor func-
tion, metabolic rate, and increase blood flow, which sub-
sequently reduces inflammation and muscular damage com-
pared to dynamic external resistance exercises [16,17].
Currently, the whole body vibration is being used as an ex-
ercise method for functional improvement [18,19] which not
only stimulates the muscles directly receiving the vibration
stimulation, but also has an effect on adjacent muscles as well
[20].
A previous study reported significant improvements in
jumping ability and lower extremity muscle strength after
undergoing whole body vibration training for 4 months [21].
Whole body vibration had an effect on decreasing in-
flammation and pain after the occurrence of delayed onset of
muscle soreness occurs after running [22]. Previous studies
have reported that muscle training with vibration stimulus is
effective in improving flexibility, postural control, balance,
and coordination [23-25].
Although the previous studies report a positive influence
of oscillatory motion, the vibration stimulus was applied to
the whole body rather than a local area for certain muscles,
and the effect is limited to being seen in the lower extremity
rather than the upper extremity. Studies where the effects of
applying local oscillation stimulation on the upper extremity
for a musculoskeletal problem are insufficient Therefore,
the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of apply-
ing localized vibrational motion on the upper extremity on
wrist muscle strength, joint range of motion, function, pain,
and quality of life in patients with tennis elbow.
Methods
Subject
This study included subjects who were diagnosed with
tennis elbow and were admitted and receiving physical ther-
apy from the A rehabilitation center in Daejeon.
The inclusion criteria were positive results on the Thomsen
test, resisted middle finger test, and Mill’s test [26], while
the exclusion criteria were subjects with complaints of se-
vere wrist pain, subjects who were currently receiving in-
jections or medication, those who were having to undergo
surgery, those with another orthopedic disease requiring sur-
gery, or those with pathological conditions such as diabetes
or high blood pressure.
A total of twenty-seven subjects who had met the se-
lection criteria were randomly divided into the vibration re-
sistance exercise (VRE) group (n=9), weight resistance ex-
ercise (WRE) group (n=9) or the control group (n=9). All
subjects have voluntarily agreed to participate in the study
after being aware of the study purpose and methods. This
study was conducted with the approval of the institutional
review board of the Daejeon University (IRB no. 1040647-
201606-HR-020-03).
Procedure
This study included the VRE, WRE, and control groups
with intervention conducted three times a week for four
weeks. The subjects in the control group received for 15 mi-
nutes and interferential current electrical therapy for 15
minutes. After the subjects in the VRE and WRE received
therapy for 30 minutes, they had exercised for an addition of
5 minutes.
Vibration resistance exercise group
The Powerball (Powerball classic 250 Hz; RPM Sports
Ltd., Contae Thiobraid Árann, Ireland) was created for ex-
ercise purposes without applying excessive force on the
joints and muscles. While sitting in an upright posture with
the affected arm placed on an armrest with 90 degrees of el-
bow flexion and forearm pronation, the subjects used their
wrist rotate the Powerball out towards the body for 5 mi-
nutes [27]. Subjects used the Powerball after they had been
fully informed and trained of the use of the equipment
(Figure 1A).
Lim and Shin: VRE for tennis elbow
165
Figure 2. (A) Wrist extensor strength. (B) Hand-grip strength. (C) Joint range of motion evaluation.
Figure 1. (A) Vibration resistance exercise. (B) Weight resistance exercise.
Weight resistance exercise group
WRE were performed eccentrically with a 2 kg dumbbell
for men and a 1 kg dumbbell for women for 5 minutes [28].
Subjects sat on a chair with armrests with the affected elbow
raised, and after raising the arm off the arm rest with elbow
flexion and forearm pronation, wrist contractions were re-
peated up to the extent where there was no pain in the
mid-range of motion using only the wrist (Figure 1B).
Outcome measures
Strength assessment
Wrist extensor muscle strength
After placing the upper extremity on a table with the 90
degrees of shoulder flexion, elbow extension, forearm pro-
nation, and 20 degrees of wrist extension, the maximal iso-
metric extension force of the wrist extensors was assessed
using the portable PowerTrack II Commander hand-held dy-
namometer (JTech Medical, Midvale, UT, USA) [29].
Strength assessments were carried out three times, with a
1-minute rest period between each assessment (Figure 2A)
[30].
Hand-grip strength
The baseline digital Smedley spring dynamometer (Sammons
Preston, Bolingbrook, IL, USA) was used to assess hand-
grip strength. In a seated position with the subject’s upper
extremity placed on an armrest, elbow was in 90 degrees
flexion, and forearm and wrist in neutral position, hand-grip
strength was assessed by having the subject pull the handle
of the dynamometer to their maximum ability while the up-
per extremity was held 15 degrees in front of the trunk
(Figure 2B) [31].
The dynamometer has an interrater reliability of 0.93-
0.94 [32].
Joint range of motion evaluation
With the wrist in neutral position, the angle achieved dur-
ing maximum wrist extension was assessed using the Clino-
meter (Plaincode Software Solution, Stephanskirchen, Germany)
which is a smartphone application.
166
Phys Ther Rehabil Sci 5(4)
Table 1. General characteristics of subjects (N=27)
Characteristic VRE group (n=9) WRE group (n=9) Control group (n=9) χ2/F
Gender (male/female) 6/3 5/4 9/0 5.014
Age (y) 42.44 (7.945) 41.78 (7.48) 39.78 (4.68) 0.369
Height (cm) 168.89 (10.09) 165.78 (10.23) 173.56 (3.40) 1.897
Weight (kg) 65.67 (12.72) 65.89 (11.23) 74.11 (5.42) 1.971
Dominant side (Rt/Lt) 8/1 9/0 9/0 2.077
Side of lesion (Rt/Lt) 6/3 6/3 8/1 1.543
Values are presented as number only or mean (SD).
VRE: vibration resistance exercise, WRE: weight resistance exercise, Rt: right, Lt: left.
With the forearm placed on the chair armrest, with 90 de-
grees of elbow flexion, the angle between the radius and the
second metacarpal was measured by the radial styloid axis
of the forearm in pronation. The interrater reliability for an-
gular measurements was 0.76-0.95 (Figure 2C) [33].
Evaluation of elbow functional ability
The patient-rated tennis elbow evaluation (PRTEE) is a
questionnaire that includes 5 questions related to pain, 6
questions related to special activities, and 4 questions about
general activities, totaling up to 15 questions with 0 being
the highest score and 10 being the lowest score. The five
pain-related questions add up to 50 points, and the 10 activ-
ity-related questions add up to 50 points (special activities
general activities) totaling up to 100 points [34]. The PRTEE
evaluation has an interrater reliability of .96, with lower
scores indicating a higher level of elbow function.
Pain levels
To assess the level of elbow pain, the visual analogue
scale (VAS) using a 10 cm line was used where the line is
divided into 1 cm segments with 0 cm indicating no pain and
10 cm indicating excruciating pain. The VAS evaluation
method for pain is high in reliability and validity [35].
Quality of living
The form includes 8 items including questions about gen-
eral health, physical functioning, physical role limitations,
pain, vitality, social function, mental, and emotional role
limitations with higher scores indicating a higher quality of
life. The reliability of the assessment has a Cronbach’s value
of 0.82 [14].
Data and statistical analysis
For this study, the PASW Statistics ver. 18.0 program
(IBM Co., Armonk, NY, USA) was used for data analysis.
The general characteristics of subjects were described using
the mean and standard deviation values, and the Shapiro-
Wilks test was performed in order to verify the normality of
the subjects.
The paired t-test was used to compare between two
groups before and after intervention and a one-way ANOVA
was used to compare the differences in the amount of change
between each group. The significance level was set at α=
0.05.
Results
A total of twenty-seven participants were included in the
study with 9 subjects in the VRE group, 9 subjects in the
WRE group, and 9 subjects in the control group. There was
no significant difference in gender, age, height, weight, side
of dominance, between the three groups (p>0.05; Table 1).
There was a significant difference in wrist extensor
strength, hand-grip strength, wrist range of motion, func-
tional ability of the elbow, pain levels and quality of life be-
tween each group before and after intervention, there was a
significant difference (p<0.05).
In comparison of the three groups, the VRE group showed
a significant increase in muscle strength and functional per-
formance compared to the WRE and control group (p<0.05).
The VRE and WRE group showed a significant improve-
ment in the change values of extensor muscle strength, hand
grip, wrist range of motion, and pain levels compared to the
control group (p<0.05). However, there was no significant
difference between the three groups in quality of life pre and
post intervention (Table 2).
Lim and Shin: VRE for tennis elbow
167
Table 2. Pre-post intervention comparison of three groups (N=27)
VRE group (n=9) WRE group (n=9) Control group (n=9) F
Strength (N) Pre 104.15 (38.65) 83.37 (36.39) 123.15 (20.93) 3.282
Post 137.07 (35.54) 100.96 (38.54) 129.81 (20.97) 3.090
t20.096*7.043*6.719*
Change value 23.93 (4.92)a,b 17.59 (7.49)a6.67 (2.98) 52.681*
Handgrip (kg) Pre 34.43 (9.50) 27.76 (11.20) 36.40 (6.47) 2.153
Post 43.34 (9.80) 35.93 (11.03) 39.11 (6.92) 1.406
t14.675*13.331*7.338*
Change value 8.91 (1.82)a8.18 (1.84)a2.71 (1.11) 39.056*
ROM (o) Pre 63.77 (7.25) 63.89 (10.91) 69.00 (4.82) 1.236
Post 76.11 (6.91) 74.47 (11.49) 72.33 (4.67) 0.481
t7.588*7.640*7.559*
Change value 12.34 (4.88)a10.58 (4.15)a3.33 (1.32) 14.376*
PRTEE (score) Pre 46.67 (12.93) 48.17 (4.95) 45.11 (5.04) 0.290
Post 16.50 (5.61) 31.67 (9.26) 29.33 (6.21) 11.562
t 7.120*4.495*7.130*
Change value 30.17 (12.71)a,b 16.50 (11.01) 15.78 (6.64) 5.429*
VAS (cm) Pre 5.67 (1.22) 5.33 (0.71) 4.78 (0.97) 1.849
Post 2.33 (1.00) 2.22 (1.09) 3.11 (0.60) 2.478
t 8.165*7.353*5.774*
Change value 3.33 (1.22)a2.11 (0.93)a1.22 (0.44) 5.727*
SF-8 (score) Pre 58.61 (13.51) 56.46 (5.72) 61.67 (10.44) 0.571
Post 74.10 (12.29) 72.78 (7.89) 71.74 (10.47) 0.117
t6.164*5.619*18.125*
Change value 15.49 (7.54) 16.32 (8.71) 10.07 (1.67) 2.294
Values are presented as mean (SD).
VRE: vibration resistance exercise, WRE: weight resistance exercise, ROM: range of motion, PRTEE: patient-rated tennis elbow evaluation,
VAS: visual analogue scale, SF-8: short form 8.
aSignificant difference compared with the control group (p<0.05). bSignificant difference compared with the weight resistance group (p<0.05).
*p<0.05.
Discussion
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of
applying vibration resistance movement on elbow muscle
strength, range of motion, pain levels, and quality of life in
patients with tennis elbow. After four weeks of intervention,
greater changes in elbow muscle strength and function were
observed in the VRE group compared to the WRE group. In
this study, elbow muscle strength, function, pain levels were
significantly improved post intervention in the VRE, WRE,
and control group subjects. There were greater changes that
have been observed in the VRE group, and these results are
consistent with previous studies where the application of vi-
bration stimulus was reported to be effective in pain relief
and functional improvement in patients with low back pain
[36]. In addition, significant increases in muscle flexibility
have been observed in other studies [37]. Even when per-
forming leg press exercises with the same load, subjects
were able to withstand greater amounts of weight bearing
when subjected to vibration stimuli [38]. Therefore, im-
proved pain relief, exercise capacity, and flexibility has been
observed with the use of VREs.
Muscle strength, joint range of motion, elbow function,
and pain levels in the control group also improved sig-
nificantly post intervention; however, this may be due to the
application of a hot pack and electrical treatment.
The WRE group showed a significant improvement in
muscle strength, endurance, and pain compared to the con-
trol group, and the results of improved muscle strength are
similar to those from previous studies where the ability of
the muscle to withstand stress and pain thresholds by apply-
ing stress onto the muscles [39].
The short form 8, which is used to assess quality of life,
showed that there were significant improvements in the
WRE, WRE, and control group, but no significant differ-
ence in between groups. There were decreased levels of pain
168
Phys Ther Rehabil Sci 5(4)
in which it was related to the ability to control pain in all
three groups, and thus having contributed to the changes in
quality of life.
Tennis elbow is caused by a strong impact from a sudden
opposite direction during wrist extension, and due to the
damaged muscle receiving repetitive stress, the normal heal-
ing process is prevented, and thus, triggering pain [40].
When the lateral part of the elbow is directly palpated,
pain arises, which is characterized by a decrease in grip
strength [41], and a resulting reduction of muscle strength
and function [42].
The results of this study showed that application of VRE
had an effect on muscle strength, joint range of motion, pain
and quality of life in those with tennis elbow. The results
showed that it is possible for application of vibration stimuli
to clinically improve muscle strength, joint range of motion,
elbow function and elbow pain in patients with tennis elbow.
For this study, the Powerball was used to provide VRE,
which is considered to be simple, does not require the use of
heavy dumbbells, and is possible to overcome the disadvan-
tages of using dumbbells for resistance exercises.
In addition, the advantages of using the Powerball in-
cludes being easy to carry, and the VREs can be can be im-
plemented without being concerned of time or space re-
straints.
One limitation of this study was that the subjects were be-
tween the ages of 35 to 55 years old, therefore, the possible
effects on other age groups is not known. Also, since the vi-
bration resistance was only applied in a circular motion on
the wrist, movement effects on various directions are not
known. Therefore, further studies that will investigate the
effects of applying VREs using a variety of methods are
needed.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest
with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this
article.
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... Previous research backs up our findings of enhanced handgrip strength employing a "gyroscopic gadget" [22]. The results of this investigation, however, disagree with those of Balan et al. (2008) [23]. ...
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Background Lateral epicondylitis (LE), sometimes referred to as tennis elbow or lateral elbow tendinopathy (LET), is one of the most common repetitive stress disorders in the elbow joint. Often, this involves the attachment of the extensor carpi radialis brevis muscle. This study's primary focus is on treating people with LE, a condition that causes repetitive movements of the upper extremities. There is currently no research on how PowerBall gadget workouts affect the function and pain of individuals with lateral epicondylitis. Exercises using the "PowerBall device," which applies both intrinsic and extrinsic pressure to the wrist, elbow, and shoulder muscles, are thought to be beneficial forms of resistance training. It has been shown that there are improvements in strength, function, range of motion (ROM), discomfort, and quality of life (QOL). On the other side, it has been demonstrated that LE patients have reduced discomfort while using Mulligan Mobilization with Movement (MMWM). Methods The 50 patients with LE were split into two groups for the single-blinded, randomized clinical study after baseline assessment and randomization: Group A was the intervention group, and Group B was the conventional group. The "PowerBall device" exercise was provided to participants in Group A, and MMWM was given to those in Group B. Both groups can benefit from basic workouts and ultrasonography by following the prescribed routine. Quantification of pain, function, grip strength, and range of motion was done at the start and finish of therapy using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Patient Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE), portable dynamometer, and goniometer. Results After therapy, both groups showed considerable improvement (p<0.05). Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed in the data analysis. Numerous statistical tests were employed, such as the student's paired and unpaired t-test and the chi-square test. From a statistical and clinical perspective, Group A's outcomes were more significant. On the visual analog scale, there was a decrease in pain intensity for wrist and elbow mobility at rest (p<0.0003), activity (p<0.003), PRTEE (p<0.001), grip strength (p<0.03), and range of motion (p<0.01). Both groups' assessments after rehabilitation indicated increases in pain and function; however, Group A (0.03) benefited more and saw early success with the PowerBall device. Conclusion Findings show that a three-week program incorporating resistance training exercises mediated by a "PowerBall device" enhances upper limb performance beyond traditional exercise treatment and increases grip strength, wrist extension strength, internal and external rotator concentric and eccentric strength. The findings and observations indicate that both groups have significantly improved.
... that it is possible to stimulate more muscle receptors both in number and type (Germann et al., 2018). Perhaps the stimulation of these more receptors, at least in the short term, lead to increased motor fiber recruitment and this can eventually lead to a higher contraction force and an overall increase in muscular function (Germann et al., 2018). Lim and Shin. (2016) examined the effect of resistance training with and without vibration on pain, range of motion (ROM), wrist muscle strength, and grip strength in tennis elbow patients. In the vibration resistance group, wrist muscle strength and elbow function showed an increase compared to the controls and the resistance training group without vibrati ...
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... Although there was no difference in ROM for the shoulder, wrist or elbow flexion measures, a significant improvement in elbow extension in the WBVT group was seen. There are some studies reporting the positive effects of vibration application on ROM in the literature (17,18), however there are only a limited number studies showing the effect of WBVT on ROM in stroke patients (11,19). The ROM of the stroke patients in this study was consistent with the literature. ...
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Lateral epicondylitis is the most commonly diagnosed elbow condition and affects about 1–3% of the population at large. It produces a heavy burden of workdays lost and residual impairments. Although many treatment modalities are used, few of them rest on scientific evidence and none has been proven more effective than the others. This paucity of evidence on treatments for lateral epicondylitis may stem from several sources, including the possible self-limiting nature of the condition, the lack of pathophysiological data, the methodological shortcomings of available studies, and the existence of numerous factors influencing the outcome.