Mobility, Balance, and Muscle Strength Adaptations to Short-Term Whole Body Vibration Training Plus Oral Creatine Supplementation in Elderly Women

Abstract

Background: A decline in neuromuscular function can cause a decrease in physical fitness in elderly women. Objective: The present study aimed at investigating whether whole body vibration (WBV) training and creatine supplementation could affect muscle strength, mobility, and balance in elderly women in short-term. Methods: The participants were 22 healthy elderly women aged 60 to 80 years, who were randomly divided into the whole-body vibration and creatine (WBV + Cr) group, whole-body vibration and placebo (WBV + P) group, and control group. The whole-body vibration group performed exercises for 10 days. The participants in WBV + Cr group consumed 20 g oral creatine supplement per day from the first to the fifth day, which was followed by consuming 5 g of creatine per day for the next 5 days. To assess mobility performance, a 30-meter walking and tandem gait tests were applied. Static and dynamic balance were measured by Flamingo and Timed-Up and Go (TUG) tests. Muscle isometric and isotonic strength were assessed by dynamometer and leg extension tests. Results: No significant difference was found in static balance (P = 0.11), but WBV + Cr and WBV + P groups showed better results in dynamic balance (P = 0.001 and P = 0.009, respectively). Moreover, leg isotonic strength improved significantly in WBV + Cr and WBV + P groups (P = 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively). However, leg isometric strength and 30-meter walking performance significantly improved only in WBV + Cr group compared to the control group. Moreover, no significant differences were observed in isometric strength of the hand (P = 0.89) and tandem gait test results among the groups (P = 0.25). Conclusions: A short-term WBV exercise improves isotonic strength of the leg muscle and dynamic balance, while creatine supplementation with and without WBV training increases isometric strength of the leg muscle and mobility in elderly women.

Effects of whole body vibration training and mental training on mobility, neuromuscular performance, and muscle strength in older men

“…The work-to-rest ratio was 1:1 (6 set of 45 to 80 sec). The exercise protocol included six positions: (a) standing straight with knees semi-locked; (b) isometric squat at a knee angle of approximately 120°; (c) kneeling on the floor with arms straight and hands placed on the platform; (d) squatting at a rhythm of 2 sec up and 2 sec down at a knee angle of approximately 120°; (e) lunge position with left leg on platform and right leg on ground; and (f) lunge position with right leg on platform and left leg on ground ( Goudarzian et al, 2017 ). An experienced personal trainer, certified from American College of Sports Medicine supervised all the exercise sessions.…”

Creatine supplementation for optimization of physical function in the patient at risk of functional disability: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…Eleven studies measured handgrip strength, including 325 participants. 31,32,50,51,55,56,61,65,[71][72][73] Using frequentist meta-analysis, creatine supplementation improved handgrip strength compared with the placebo (n = 325; SMD: 0.23; 95% CI: 0.01-0.45; I 2 = 0%; P = 0.04;…”

Evaluation of 18-Week Whole-Body Vibration Training in Normobaric Hypoxia on Lower Extremity Muscle Strength in an Elderly Population

“…As muscle strength and lean mass are highly interrelated, WBV training could have a positive effect on muscle mass (Chen et al, 2017). Numerous intervention studies have been carried out to increase muscle mass (Chen et al, 2017) and muscle function (Goudarzian et al, 2017b;Ko et al, 2017) in the elderly. However, some of them have shown controversial results.…”

“…The different vibration frequencies, durations, and amplitudes used in the aforementioned studies could explain these contradictory results. In this context, durations from 6 weeks to 1 year seem to be required to get these benefits (Goudarzian et al, 2017b). Other factors, such as training volume could also alter the effects of the treatment, gains peaking at 12-15 minutes of vibration stimulus per session (Marin and Rhea, 2010).…”