82 Effects of Whole Body Vibration Training using Side-Alternating Vibration Platform with Tilt Table in Hospitalized Older Adults with Sarcopenia : A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Abstract

Background and Aims: Sarcopenia is defined as the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength with increased age. Increased activity following whole body vibration (WBV) has been reported in patients with chronic illness, but few studies reported the effect of WBV on the physical function of patients with acute illness. This study aimed to investigate the effects of WBV training using vibration platform with tilt table on muscle mass and physical performance in hospitalized older adults with sarcopenia. Methods: Inclusion criteria were as follow: 1) age more than 70 years old 2) unable to independently ambulate due to long term hospitalized care 3) patient who was diagnosed as sarcopenia. Patient who underwent surgical implantation because of trauma during recent 2 months, or patient who had medically unstable course was excluded. Participant were randomly allocated into WBV group using side‐alternating vibration platform with tilt table vs. conventional physical therapy composed of passive range of motion exercise, balance and ambulation training. It took 40 minutes a day, 5 sessions per week for both groups to receive the intervention. In WBV group, subjects lied down on tilt table at 60 degree with bare foot. Then, subjects stood on the platform board which could vibrate. All subjects were in a squat position, with flexed knee at 30 degree. During whole body vibration, frequency was 12 Hz and amplitude was 4 mm. Initial evaluation included muscle mass by Inbody, hand grip force, balance by Berg balance scale (BBS), gait function by gait timed get up and go (TUG) test and gait speed, activities of daily living (ADL) by Modified bathel index (MBI), cognitive function by Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) and mood by short form of Geriatric Depression Scale (SGDS‐K). Muscle strength of lower limbs was evaluated using manual muscle test (MMT) and isometric test. After 2 weeks, when both groups finished 10 sessions, 2n d evaluation was conducted. Results: Among 23 patients, 11 participants were WBV group and 12 participants were control group. There were no significant differences between two groups in demographic characteristics (sex, age, weight and height). After intervention, both groups showed improvements in BBS (WBV group: p=0.003; control group: p=0.005), MBI (WBV group: p=0.003; control group: p= 0.003) and SGDS (WBV group: p=0.02; control group: p=0.012). The effect of WBV intervention resulted in significant differences only in isometric knee extension strength (p=0.033) after 2 weeks of intervention and in isokinetic knee extension strength after a 2‐week follow‐up period (p=0.033), for the left leg. And TUG improved after 2 weeks of vibration in the WBV group (p=0.046). Conclusion: We have demonstrated that conventional physical therapy improves balance, ADL and depression in hospitalized older adults with sarcopenia. Furthermore, additional whole‐body vibration intervention for 2weeks may also improve knee muscle strength and ability of ambulation in elderly patients. A sufficiently large sample size will be necessary to produce results of future studies.