Focal Muscle Vibration (fMV) for Post-Stroke Motor Recovery: Multisite Neuroplasticity Induction, Timing of Intervention, Clinical Approaches, and Prospects from a Narrative Review

Abstract

Despite newly available therapies for acute stroke and innovative prevention strategies, stroke remains the third leading cause of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) lost worldwide, mostly because more than half of stroke survivors aged 65 and over exhibit an incomplete functional recovery of the paretic limb. Given that a repeated sensory input is one of the most effective modulators of cortical motor and somatosensory structures, focal muscle vibration (fMV) is gaining growing interest as a safe, well-tolerated, and non-invasive brain stimulation technique to promote motor recovery after stroke with a long-lasting and clinically relevant improvement in strength, step symmetry, gait, and kinematics parameters. In this narrative review, we first summarize the structural (neural plasticity) and functional changes (network relearning) triggered by the stroke lesion and carried out at a brain and spinal cord level in an attempt to recover from the loss of function. Then, we will focus on the fMV’s plasticity-based mechanisms reporting evidence of a possible concurrently acting multisite plasticity induced by fMV. Finally, to understand what the most effective fMV rehabilitation protocol could be, we will report the most recent evidence regarding the different clinical approaches and timing of the fMV treatment, the related open issues, and prospects.