Effect of whole body vibration training program on strength, flexibility and mobility in inactive elderly men

Introduction and

Physical fitness is important for health promotion, functional independence and falling prevention in elderly. Due to the unwillingness or inability of the elderly to do conventional exercises, designing the simple, safe and tolerable exercises for this population is essential. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of whole body vibration therapy exercise - in comparison with non-vibration exercises - on strength, flexibility and mobility in the inactive elderly.

In this Quasi-experimental research, 45 inactive male elderly (60-80 years old) were selected by available method and were divided randomly into 3 groups: control, whole body vibration exercise and non-vibration exercise. The protocol of both exercises included 6 weeks of knee dynamics squats - 3 sessions per week and 50 minutes each session. The vibration exercise group performed exercises on a vibratory platform with a frequency of 30-35 Hz and an amplitude of 5-8 mm. The no-vibration exercise group, did similar exercises but without using vibration. Strength, flexibility and mobility of participants were evaluated before and after the study period. Data analysis was done by ANOVA and paired t-test.
Findings: At the beginning of the study, there were no significant differences between the three groups in physical fitness indices (P>0.05). After interventions, significant differences were found in the elderly's physical fitness indices (with the exception of hand grip strength). The strength and flexibility of upper limb and explosive power were significantly higher in both training groups (without significant difference) compared to the control group (P

Based on the findings of this study, whole body vibration exercise can be recommended with regard to the possibility of improving functional fitness parameters, as an alternative exercise practice for the elderly who are not able to perform common resistance exercises due to motor constraints.