FOCUSED MECHANO-ACOUSTIC VIBRATIONS: BIO-PHYSICOMETRIC APPROACH IN NEUROMUSCULAR DISEASES

G. Barassi^1,5, G. Di Stefano¹, R. Pellegrino², A. Di Iulio³, V. Gildone⁴, G. Pensa⁴, M. Cipriano⁴, M. Matarese⁴, F. d’Alessandro⁴, F. Sacco⁴, L. Prosperi⁵, C. Marinucci⁵ and M. Panunzio6

¹Center for Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation and Reeducation (Ce.Fi.R.R.), venue Castelnuovo della Daunia Thermal Center, Castelnuovo della Daunia, Italy;
²Antalgic Mini-invasive and Rehab-Outpatients Unit, Department of Medicine and Science of Aging, Centre of Sports Medicine, “G. d’Annnunzio” University, Chieti, Italy;
³Department of Thoracic Surgery, “Santo Spirito” Civil Hospital, Pescara, Italy;
⁴Castelnuovo della Daunia Thermal Center, Castelnuovo della Daunia, Italy;
⁵Center for Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation and Reeducation (Ce.Fi.R.R.), venue “G. d’Annnunzio” University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy;
⁶Center for Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation and Re-Education (Ce.Fi.R.R.), venue Gemelli Molise Spa, Professionalization Didactic Center, “Catholic” University of Rome/Campobasso, Campobasso, Italy

Correspondence to:
Giovanni Barassi, PhD
Center for Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation and Reeducation (Ce.Fi.R.R.) Training Center,
Gabriele d’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara,
66013, Chieti, Italy
e-mail: coordftgb@unich.it

Received: 25 October 2023 Accepted: 02 December 2023

ISSN 2975-044X (online) ISSN 2038-4106 (print) Copyright © by BIOLIFE 2024 This publication and/or article is for individual use only and may not be further reproduced without written permission from the copyright holder. Unauthorized reproduction may result in financial and other penalties. Disclosure: All authors report no conflicts of interest relevant to this article.

ABSTRACT

This analytical retrospective observational study aims to demonstrate the effects of Focused Mechano-Acoustic Vibrations (FMVs) on people affected by neuromuscular diseases. A total of 11 patients (age 58 ± 11) underwent a protocol consisting of three weekly sessions of FMVs for one month, applied to patients affected by neuromuscular disease. Assessments made through a stabilometric platform before and after the rehabilitation protocol revealed positive, although not statistically significant, variations of the characteristics of the Center of Pressure and of the Romberg Index of patients recruited for the study. Our experience showed that the application of FMVs could be a useful tool in the rehabilitation of neuromuscular diseases. These new integrated approaches can be used in the rehabilitation field in a multidisciplinary and multispecialistic way.

KEYWORDS: physiotherapy, rehabilitation, neurological disorders, vibration