Effects of Controlled Whole-Body Vibration Training on Functional Performance Among Healthy Older Adults: A 6-Week Pilot Study.

Background: Falling is the second leading cause of injury-related death worldwide and is a leading cause of injury among older adults. Whole-body vibration has been used to improve fall risk factors in older adults. No study has assessed if vibration benefits can be retained over time.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to examine if six-weeks of whole-body vibration could improve fall risk factors and to assess if benefits associated with the training program could be sustained two months following the final training session.

Design and setting: Repeated measures randomized controlled design.

Participants: Twenty-four independent living older adults were recruited and were randomly assigned to the WBV or control group.

Intervention: Participants performed three sessions of whole-body vibration training per week with a vibration frequency of 20Hz or with only an audio recording of the vibration noise. An assessment of fall risk factors was performed prior to, immediately following, and two-months after the completion of the training program.

Main outcome measures: Fall risk factors including functional capacity, mobility, strength, and walking speed were assessed pre-training, post-training, and two-months post-training.

Results: Seventeen participants completed the study. No improvements (p<0.05) between groups were found in the measures of physical performance.

Conclusions: Findings revealed that six weeks of whole-body vibration is not effective in improving fall risk factors or producing benefits post-training.