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Effects of whole-body vibration training on the physical function of the frail elderly: an open, randomised control trial
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Effects of whole-body vibration training on the physical function of the frail elderly: an open, randomised control trial

Daniel P Wadsworth and Sally Lark
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vol.101(7), pp.1111-1119
2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2020.02.009
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2020.02.009View
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Abstract

Exercise whole body vibration frail elderly Sarcopenia physical function
Objective: To investigate the feasibility and benefits of Whole Body Vibration (WBV) exercise as a safe and effective training-tool for countering sarcopenia and age-related declines in mobility and function in the frail elderly. Design: An open, randomised control trial. Setting: Residential care-facilities Participants: 117 male and female volunteers (82.5±7.9 years) Interventions: After pre-screening for contra-indications, participants were randomly allocated to a Control (CON), Simulated-WBV (SIM) or WBV-exercise (WBV) group. All participants received regular care, whilst WBV- and SIM- participants also underwent thrice-weekly exercise sessions for 16 weeks. Delivered by overload principle, WBV-training began with 5 x 1-min bouts at 6 Hz/2 mm (1:1min exercise:rest), progressing to 10 x 1-min at up-to 26 Hz/4 mm, maintaining knee-flexion. Training for SIM participants mimicked WBV-exercise stance and duration only Main outcome measures: Timed-Up-and-Go, Parallel Walk and 10-m Timed-Walk test performance were assessed, in addition to the Barthel Index Questionnaire, at baseline, 8- and 16-weeks of exercise, and 3-, 6- and 12-months post-exercise. Results: High levels of compliance were reported in SIM (89%) and WBV-training (93%), with ease-of-use and no adverse effects. In comparison to baseline-levels, WBV-training elicited clinically-important treatment-effects in all parameters compared to SIM and CON groups. Treatment-effects remained apparent up-to 12-months post-intervention for Parallel Walk and 6-months for 10-m Timed-Walk. Functional-test performance declined during- and post-intervention in non-WBV groups. Conclusions: Findings indicate that 16-weeks of low-level WBV-exercise provides easily-accessible, adequate stimulus for the frail elderly to attain improved levels of physical functionality.

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Rehabilitation
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