Effectiveness of vibration-mechanical massage in medical rehabilitation programs

Background. The combination of various physical factors in the treatment of one nosology can elicit new integrative effects and enhance treatment efficacy. The study evaluates effectiveness of vibration-mechanical massage (VMМ) in patients with various nosological diseases. Methods of hardware VMМ have firmly entered the field of aesthetic medicine and cosmetology. The recent rapid development of VMМ technologies stimulates research and development work to study their effectiveness.

Objective: To evaluate the possibility of using VMМ in comprehensive postoperative rehabilitation programs.

Material and methods. The Beautylizer Therapy massage device (Economic Electrical Solutions LLC, Russia) was selected for conducting VMМ procedures. The study involved 140 patients (67 (47.86%) men, 73 (52.14%) women) who had undergone different types of surgery. The participants were distributed into four groups of 35 individuals each. Group 1 included patients after operations on spinal structures; Group 2 – after mastectomy; Group 3 – after amputation of lower extremities; Group 4 – after stabilizing interventions on knee joints. All study groups were assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS). To assess the functional status of patients within rehabilitation programs for different study groups, the following functional status questionnaires were used: for Group 1 – Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI); for Group 2 – Short Form Medical Outcomes Study (SF-36); for Group 3 – Lequesne Algofunctional Index (LAI); for Group 4 – Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS).

Results. According to the VAS, a statistically significant reduction in pain syndrome was observed across all study groups, with the most pronounced effects noted in Groups 1 and 4. In Group 1, patients after correction for scoliotic deformity demonstrated a significant improvement in SRS-22 indicators “Back pain” and “Treatment satisfaction”. In this same group, patients after intervertebral disc surgery exhibited a mean ODI of 49.75% preoperatively (severe disability), which decreased to 36.25% postrehabilitation (moderate disability) (p<0.05). In Group 2, significant improvements were recorded in SF-36 “Physical Functioning”, “Role Physical Functioning”, and “Role Emotional Functioning”. Group 3 exhibited a marked decrease in pain intensity LAI value to the point of complete resolution (p<0.001). In Group 4, the most clinically significant differences in KOOS indicators were observed concerning pain and stiffness.

Conclusion. The data presented show that the VMM method, by targeting the myofascial components of musculoskeletal structures, is capable of alleviating nonspecific pain syndromes and may be recommended for clinical practice in various diseases and conditions.

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