1 research outputs found
Impact of whole body vibration on balance improvement in elderly women
Whole body vibration is a novel modality that has been proposed as a potentially useful adjunct to exercise to improve various aspects of musculoskeletal function. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of adding whole body vibration to a conventional exercise program to improve balance in elderly independently living women. A total of 40 elderly women, randomly divided into two equal groups (exercise and vibration versus exercise only) participated in an 8-week physiotherapy program for falls prevention. Participants in both groups performed the same exercise program twice per week. The participants in the vibration group also performed exercises on a vertical vibration platform set at a 27Â Hz frequency and 3Â mm amplitude. Standard tests to assess balance were performed before and after the intervention to monitor changes. Performance on all balance tests was significantly improved for both groups after the intervention (P < 0.05), however there were no significant differences in improvement between groups