Whole body vibration and auriculotherapy improve handgrip strength in individuals with knee osteoarthritis.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To verify the action of non-pharmacological interventions, whole body vibration exercise (WBVE) and auriculotherapy (AT) on the management of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) analyzing the handgrip strength (HS). METHODS: One hundred twelve participants with KOA were allocated in (a) WBVE group with peak-to-peak displacement of 2.5 to 7.5 mm, frequency from 5 up to 14 Hz, acceleration peak from 0.12 up to 2.95 g (2 d/weekly for 5 weeks), (b) AT group, points of both ears (Kidney, Knee-correspondent point and Shenmen) were stimulated with seeds, (c) WBVE + AT group and (d) respective control groups. HS was assessed in all the participants, in acute and cumulative responses. RESULTS: The intervention with WBVE alone and combined with AT improved (P < 0.05), in a cumulative response, the HS. CONCLUSION: WBVE alone or combined with AT might promote biological effects that interfere with the HS in individuals with KOA.