Low-Frequency Bladder Vibration Beneficial for UTI in Spinal Cord Injury

THURSDAY, March 6, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Applying low-frequency bladder vibration (LFBV) to patients with spinal cord injury (SCI)/neurogenic bladder who developed urinary tract infections (UTIs) during rehabilitation is associated with a reduction in urinary leukocytes and urinary bacteria on day 10, according to a study recently published in International Urology and Nephrology.

Yingying Zhang, from The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University in Suzhou, China, and colleagues conducted a single-blind randomized controlled trial involving patients who developed UTIs while rehabilitating from SCI. Participants were randomly assigned to a control or intervention group (44 and 43 patients, respectively); the intervention group received LFBV twice daily for 10 days.

The researchers found that the intervention group had significantly higher urinary leukocytes on day 2 and significantly lower urinary leukocytes and urinary bacteria on day 10 compared with the control group. The intervention group had significantly lower urinary leukocytes and postvoid residual volume, fewer signs and symptoms of UTI, and significantly higher urine volume four weeks after LFBV. No significant change was seen in urinary red blood cells or occult blood due to LFBV.

“The improvements were sustained up to four weeks after the intervention,” the authors write. “It may be helpful to incorporate bladder vibration into the standard rehabilitation protocol for SCI patients.”

Abstract/Full Text