Abstract:

Objective To investigate the impact of whole body vibration training combined with intermittent blood flow restriction on the motor function and community activity in elderly stroke patients with hemiplegia. Methods A total of 80 convalescent hemiplegic patients after stroke who were hospitalized in the Rehabilitation Medicine Department of Yichang Central People's Hospital （Xiling Campus） from October 2021 to December 2023 were included and randomly divided into control group （n = 25），vibration group （n = 28） and combination group （n = 27） using the random number table method. All patients received conventional rehabilitation training， on the basis； the vabration group received whole body vibration training， while the combination group received whole body vibration training combined with intermittent blood flow restriction. Before and after 6 weeks of training， the balance function was evaluated with Berg balance scale （BBS）， while the gait function was tested with 6-minute walking test（6MWT）and the Community Balance and Mobility scale （CB&M） was used to assess the community activity ability. The community balance and mobility （CB&M） were evaluated in the first and third month after discharge. Results There was no significant difference in BBS， CB&M scores and 6MWT walking distance between the three groups before training （P > 0.05）. After 6 weeks of training， the three groups showed significant increases in the BBS， CB&Mscores and the walk distance of 6MWT （P < 0.001）.Furthermore， compared with the control group， the combination group and the vibration group were significantly beter（P < 0.05）， and there was no significant difference between the combination group and the vibration group （P > 0.05）.At the first and third month of follw-up after discharge， the CB&M scores of the three groups were significantly higher than those of the control group（P < 0.05）， while there was no significant difference between the CB&M scores of the combination group and the vibration group at the first month of follow-up（P > 0.05）.But the CB&M scores of the combination group was higher than those of the vibration group at the third month of follow-up， and the difference was statistically significant（P < 0.05）. Conclusion On the basis of conventional rehabilitation， whole body vibration training combined with intermittent blood flow restriction can significantly enhance balance function， balance confidence， walking ability and mobility in early stage of community life for elderly stroke patients with hemiplegia， potentially facilitating their return to community life.

Key words: stroke, whole body vibration training, blood flow restriction, community balance and mobility scale, balance, fall