The effects of whole body vibration on balance, joint position sense and cutaneous sensation

Abstract

Whole body vibration (WBV) may enhance muscular strength and power but little is known about its influence on sensory-motor function. Vibration of a single muscle or tendon affects the afferent system in a manner that depends on amplitude and frequency. WBV stimulates many muscle groups simultaneously and the frequencies and amplitudes used are different from many of the studies on single musculotendinous units. We investigated the effects of WBV at two amplitudes on balance, joint position sense (JPS) and cutaneous sensation in young healthy subjects. Eighteen adults (24.3 ± 1.5 years, 15 females) were assessed before WBV (five 1 min bouts, 30 Hz) then immediately, 15 and 30 min afterwards. Two amplitudes (4 and 8 mm peak to peak) were investigated on different occasions. Standing balance was assessed with feet together and eyes closed, and standing on one leg with eyes open and closed. JPS at the knee and ankle was assessed by repositioning tasks while cutaneous sensation was recorded from six sites in the lower limb using pressure aesthesiometry. Neither amplitude affected JPS (P > 0.05). There were minimal effects on balance only in the vertical plane and only 30 min after WBV (P < 0.05). Low amplitude vibration only reduced sensation at the foot and ankle immediately after WBV (P < 0.008). High amplitude vibration impaired sensation at the foot, ankle and posterior shank for the entire test period (P < 0.008). In young healthy individuals WBV did not affect JPS or static balance, but reduced cutaneous sensation. These data may have implications for older and clinical populations with compromised postural control.

The acute effects of local muscle vibration frequency on peak torque, rate of torque development, and EMG activity

“…However, other studies indicate that LMV causes a reduction in force output (Kouzaki et al, 2000;Mottram et al, 2006), and this could be related to the parameters of stimulation. Also, the neurophysiological influences may differ between LMV and WBV, as WBV stimulates multiple receptors throughout the lower extremity (Pollock et al, 2011) and influence motor unit firing frequency and synchronization, muscle tuning, intramuscular coordination, and central motor command (Cochrane, 2011). However, LMV's effects are likely restricted to receptors in the proximity of the stimulator, and are the result of neurogenic potentiation via the tonic vibratory reflex from stimulation of the muscle spindle system (Cardinale and Bosco, 2003).…”

The effect of 8 weeks of whole body vibration training on static balance and explosive strength of lower limbs in physical education students

“…Studies examining the effect of WBV on balance are limited and refer to trained athletes (Fort, Romero, Bagur, & Guerra, 2012), untrained subjects (Torvinen et al, 2002b) or overweight/obese women. More specifically, Pollock, Provan, Martin, and Newham (2011) who examined the effect of WBV at two amplitudes on balance, joint position sense and cutaneous sensation in eighteen young healthy subjects found that neither amplitude affected joint position sense or static balance, but reduced cutaneous sensation. However, little is known about the effects of vibration training on static balance and explosive strength of physical education students who during their daily courses occupy themselves with sport activities.…”

Immediate effects of whole-body vibration on neuromuscular performance of quadriceps and oscillation of the center of pressure: A randomized controlled trial

“…Corroborating the presented findings, Pollock (2011) analyzing the effects of WBV with different amplitudes, found no differences in the postural balance of healthy women, suggesting that the vibratory stimulus does not change the postural control of this population when evaluated through simple and low challenge tasks, with little potential to identify improvements. In this study, we decided to evaluate the oscillation of the center of pressure in unipodal support and with the knee flexed at an angle of 20° in order to provide a greater challenge during testing, thereby providing a greater sensitivity to the examination.…”