Effects of adding whole‐body vibration to routine day activity program on physical functioning in elderly with mild or moderate dementia: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effects of whole-body vibration (WBV) added to a routine activity program on lower limb strength, balance, and mobility among community-dwelling individuals with mild or moderate dementia, compared with the routine program alone. Methods: Fifty-four older adults (40 women; mean (SD) age: 79.8 (6.1) years) with mild or moderate dementia were recruited from two daycare centers. The participants were randomly allocated to undergo a routine day activity program combined with WBV training (WBV at 30 Hz, 2-mm peakto-peak amplitude) or the routine program only without WBV for 9 weeks (18 sessions). The primary outcome was functional mobility, measured using the timed up-and-go test. The following secondary outcomes were evaluated: Berg Balance Scale, Tinetti balance assessment, time to complete 5 repetitions of sit-to-stand, Quality of Life in Alzheimer's disease questionnaire, and Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale. The attendance rate and incidence of adverse events were also recorded. Results: The attendance rate for the training was high (86.0%). The incidence of adverse events was low, with only two of the 27 participants in the WBV group reporting mild knee pain. While significant improvement in timed up-and-go, Berg Balance Scale, and Tinetti balance score was found in both groups, none of the outcomes demonstrated a significant group by time interaction. Conclusions: WBV training is feasible and safe to use with people with mild or moderate dementia. However, it did not lead to further improvement in physical function and quality of life than the usual activity program provided at the daycare centers.

Interventions to Improve Gait in Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review

“…Nineteen studies investigated the effect of exercise programs on gait (Table ). All except 2 were RCTs.…”

“…Control groups received usual treatment (13 studies), motor placebo activity (2 studies), group‐based social activities (2 studies), supervised group walking (1 study), and a home safety assessment (1 study). Six studies had low risk of bias; most had low to moderate risk.…”

“…Control groups received usual treatment (13 studies), motor placebo activity (2 studies), group-based social activities (2 studies), supervised group walking (1 study), and a home safety assessment (1 study). Six studies had low risk of bias; 10,40,41,46,48,52 most had low to moderate risk. Eight studies demonstrated significant training-related improvement in gait variables (e.g., walking speed, stride length, stride time, double limb support time, functional mobility measures such as the TUG test or Tinetti gait and balance test.…”

Acute Effects of Whole-Body Vibration on Peripheral Blood Flow, Vibrotactile Perception and Balance in Older Adults

“…For example, among older individuals, a number of studies observed WBV-induced improvements in lower limb blood flow [15,16] and body balance [17,18]. On the other hand, other studies could not reveal such beneficial effects from exposure to WBV on peripheral circulation [19] or body balance [20][21][22]. Also, widely variable study protocols among the investigators complicate the interpretation of the available study results.…”

Erlaubt der Gesundheitszustand von Menschen mit Demenz eine körperliche Aktivierung?

“…Die erhobenen kardiovaskulären Parameter der untersuchten Senioren liegen, von wenigen Ausnahmen abgesehen, im alterstypischen Normbereich. Sollte sich zeigen, dass sich die kardiovaskulären Parameter durch die Intervention verbessern lassen, wie es zahlreiche Studien nahelegen, könnte sich dieser Effekt durch eine besseren Durchblutung des Gehirns auch positiv auf Prognose und Verlauf der Demenz auswirken [11] [12][13] [14].…”