INFLUENCE OF WHOLE BODY VIBRATION PLATFORM FREQUENCY ON NEUROMUSCULAR PERFORMANCE OF COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS

Furness, TP and Maschette, WE. Influence of whole body vibration platform frequency on neuromuscular performance of community-dwelling older adults. J Strength Cond Res 23(5): 1508-1513, 2009-The purpose of this study was to progressively overload vibration platform frequency to describe sea-saw whole body vibration influence on neuromuscular performance of community-dwelling older adults. Seventy-three community-dwelling older adults (aged 72 +/- 8 years) were randomly assigned to 4 groups (zero, one, 2, and 3 whole body vibration sessions per week). Quantifiers of neuromuscular performance such as the 5-Chair Stands test, the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, and the Tinetti test were recorded. Furthermore, Health-related quality of life was qualified with the SF-36 Health Survey. A 6-week whole body vibration intervention significantly improved the quantifiers of neuromuscular performance in a community-dwelling older adult sample. Whole body vibration was shown to significantly reduce time taken to complete the 5-Chair Stands test (p < 0.05) and the TUG test (p < 0.05). Tinetti test scores significantly improved (p < 0.05). as did all components of health-related quality of life (p < 0.05). Overall, progressively overloaded frequency elicited more beneficial improvement for the 3 whole body vibration sessions per week group. It was concluded that progressively overloaded frequency was effective in improving quantifiable measures of neuromuscular performance in the sample and that practitioners may confidently prescribe 3 whole body vibration sessions per week with more precise knowledge of the effects of whole body vibration on neuromuscular performance and health-related quality-of-life effects.