Abstract
Bruyere O, Wuidart M-A, Di Palma E, Goulay M, Ethgen O, Richy F, Reginster J-Y. Controlled
whole body vibration to decrease fall risk and improve health-related quality of life
of nursing home residents.
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<.001). The intervention group improved by 3.5±2.1 points on the body balance score
compared with a decrease of 0.3±1.2 points in the control group (P<.001). TUG test time decreased by 11.0±8.6 seconds in the treated group compared
with an increase of 2.6±8.8 seconds in the control group (P<.001). The intervention group had significantly greater improvements from baseline
on 8 of 9 items on the SF-36 compared with the control group.
Conclusions
Controlled whole body vibration can improve elements of fall risk and HRQOL in elderly
patients.
Key words
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Article info
Footnotes
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on the author(s) or on any organization with which the author(s) is/are associated.
Identification
Copyright
© 2005 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
