The Influence of Whole-Body Vibration on Cardiovascular Parameters and Changes in the Perception of an External Stimulus in Postmenopausal Women

Introduction: Medical science is constantly looking for effective methods to prevent involutional changes. Whole-body vibration training is a promising form of systemic rehabilitation. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the effect of whole-body vibration on basic cardiovascular parameters (heart rate and blood pressure) and changes in the perception of an external stimulus in postmenopausal women with different body composition. Material and methods: The study was pilot and involved 20 women. Before the procedure, the body composition analysis was performed using the Tanita analyser. All participants underwent a series of vibration massage treatments lasting 30 minutes. Blood pressure, heart rate and sensory threshold levels were measured before and after the vibrotherapy. Results: Diastolic blood pressure before vs. after (median; 74.20 vs. 71.45 mmHg; p=0.047), heart rate before vs. after (median; 67.40 vs. 66.00 bpm; p<0.001). Higher water content positively correlated with a decrease in diastolic blood pressure (R=0.51; p<0.05). The older the woman was, the less the heart rate decreased (R=-0.45; p<0.05). After vibrotherapy, the sensory threshold values in the non-dominant hand decreased slightly (p=0.076). The greater the visceral fat content (R=-0.48; p<0.05) and body weight (R=-0.56; p<0.05), the smaller was the improvement in the threshold. Conclusions: After whole-body vibration, the values of diastolic blood pressure and heart rate in the examined women were lower than those recorded before the procedure. It has been shown that the higher water content in the female body was associated with a greater reduction in diastolic blood pressure. However, the older the woman, the less was the decrease in heart rate. After the whole-body vibrotherapy, only a slight decrease in the sensory threshold was noted. However, it was found that in the studied women the greater the content of visceral fat tissue and the body weight, the smaller the change in sensory sensitivity.