title: Small and inconsistent effects of whole body vibration on athletic performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We quantified the acute and chronic effects of whole body vibration on athletic performance or its proxy measures in competitive and/or elite athletes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Systematic literature review and meta-analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Whole body vibration combined with exercise had an overall 0.3 % acute effect on maximal voluntary leg force (-6.4 %, effect size = -0.43, 1 study), leg power (4.7 %, weighted mean effect size = 0.30, 6 studies), flexibility (4.6 %, effect size = -0.12 to 0.22, 2 studies), and athletic performance (-1.9 %, weighted mean effect size = 0.26, 6 studies) in 191 (103 male, 88 female) athletes representing eight sports (overall effect size = 0.28). Whole body vibration combined with exercise had an overall 10.2 % chronic effect on maximal voluntary leg force (14.6 %, weighted mean effect size = 0.44, 5 studies), leg power (10.7 %, weighted mean effect size = 0.42, 9 studies), flexibility (16.5 %, effect size = 0.57 to 0.61, 2 studies), and athletic performance (-1.2 %, weighted mean effect size = 0.45, 5 studies) in 437 (169 male, 268 female) athletes (overall effect size = 0.44).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Whole body vibration has small and inconsistent acute and chronic effects on athletic performance in competitive and/or elite athletes. These findings lead to the hypothesis that neuromuscular adaptive processes following whole body vibration are not specific enough to enhance athletic performance. Thus, other types of exercise programs (e.g., resistance training) are recommended if the goal is to improve athletic performance.
authors.affiliation: Center for Human, Movement Sciences, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, A. Deusinglaan 1, 9700 AD, Groningen, The Netherlands, t.hortobagyi@umcg.nl.
authors.forename: Tibor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hortobágyi
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lesinski
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Del-Olmo
authors.forename: Urs
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Granacher
mesh_terms: D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D014732:Vibration