Article

Objective: To study the effects of whole-body vibration exercises on the mobility
function, balance and general health status, and its feasibility as an
intervention in frail elderly patients. Design: Pilot randomized controlled
trial. Subjects: Forty-four frail older persons (85.27 +/- 3.63 years) meeting
the Fried Frailty Criteria. Interventions: All eligible subjects were randomly
assigned to the experimental group, who received a whole-body vibration exercise
alone (vibration amplitude: 1-3 mm; frequency: 6-26 Hz; 4-5 bouts x 60 seconds;
3-5 times weekly), or a control group, who received usual care and exercises for
eight weeks. Main measures: The Timed Up and Go Test, 30-second chair stand test,
lower extremities muscle strength, balance function, balance confidence and
General Health Status were assessed at the beginning of the study, after four
weeks and eight weeks of the intervention. Results: Whole-body vibration exercise
reduced the time of the Timed Up and Go Test (40.47 +/- 15.94 s to 21.34 +/- 4.42
s), improved the bilateral knees extensor strength (6.96 +/- 1.70 kg to 11.26 +/-
2.08 kg), the posture stability (surface area ellipse: 404.58 +/- 177.05 to
255.95 +/- 107.28) and General Health Status (Short-form Health Survey score:
24.51 +/- 10.69 and 49.63 +/- 9.85 to 45.03 +/- 11.15 and 65.23 +/- 9.39,
respectively). The repeated-measures ANOVA showed that there were significant
differences in the Timed Up and Go Test, 30-second chair stand test, bilateral
knees extensor strength, activities-specific balance confidence score and general
health status between the two groups (P < 0.05). No side-effects were observed
during the training. Conclusions: Whole-body vibration exercise is a safe and
effective method that can improve the mobility, knee extensor strength, balance
and the general health status in the frail elderly.

Langue : ANGLAIS