Controlled whole body vibration to decrease fall risk and improve health-related quality of life of nursing home residents

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effects of whole body vibration in the elderly. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: Nursing home. Participants: Forty-two elderly volunteers. Interventions: Six-week vibration intervention plus physical therapy (PT) (n=22) or PT alone (n=20). Main Outcome Measures: We assessed gait and body balance using the Tinetti test (maximum scores of 12 for gait, 16 for body balance, 28 for global score), motor capacity using the Timed Up & Go (TUG) test, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Results: After 6 weeks, the vibration intervention group improved by a mean ± standard deviation of 2.4±2.3 points on the gait score compared with no score change in the control group (P