title: High-frequency whole-body vibration improves balancing ability in elderly women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the efficacy of high-frequency whole-body vibration (WBV) on balancing ability in elderly women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized controlled trial. Subjects were randomized to either the WBV intervention or the no-treatment control group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community-living elderly women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-nine elderly women aged 60 or above without habitual exercise.
  
  
  METHODS
  Side alternating WBV at 20Hz with 3 minutes a day and 3 days a week for 3 months in the WBV intervention group. Those in control group remained sedentary with normal daily life for the whole study period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Limits of stability in terms of reaction time, movement velocity, directional control, endpoint excursion, maximum excursion, and the functional reach test were performed at baseline and endpoint.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant enhancement of stability was detected in movement velocity (P<.01), maximum point excursion (P<.01), in directional control (P<.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  WBV was effective in improving the balancing ability in elderly women. This also provides evidence to support our user-friendly WBV treatment protocol of 3 minutes a day for the elderly to maintain their balancing ability and reduce risks of fall.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Wing-Hoi
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Hoi-Wa
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Mok
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Pan-Ching
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Sze
authors.forename: Kwong-Man
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kwok-Sui
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Leung
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014732:Vibration