title: Effect of Two Frequencies of Whole-Body Vibration Training on Balance and Flexibility of the Elderly: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of whole-body vibration training with different frequencies on the balance and flexibility of the healthy elderly.
  
  
  
  The participants were recruited from hospital volunteers and the community; all of them were healthy subjects, all over 65 years of age. The study involved three randomized groups in a parallel and single-blind design. The main outcome variables included the limits of stability test and the sit and reach test, which were measured at pre-training, Month 1 (Mid-training), Month 3 (Post-training), and Month 6 (Follow-up).
  
  
  
  A total of 45 subjects, with a mean age of 69.6 ± 3.9 years, were randomly divided into three groups. There was significant interaction in the performance of the limits of stability and sit and reach tests in the different groups at the four different time points (F = 25.218, P < 0.001, F = 12.235, P < 0.001, respectively). There was a significant difference in balance performance between the vibration groups at the frequencies of 20 Hz and 40 Hz and the control group at Month 1, Month 3, and Month 6 (P < 0.001).
  
  
  
  Whole-body vibration training at 20 Hz has significant benefit to the balance and flexibility of the elderly who do not engage in habitual exercise.
authors.affiliation: From the Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, and Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taichung Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan (S-YT); Department of Family Medicine, Taichung Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan (P-SH); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taichung Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung, Taiwan (C-LL); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taichung Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan (W-CL); Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, and Department of Family Medicine, Taichung Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan (M-CL); and School of Physical Therapy, Chung Shan Medical University, and Room of Physical Therapy, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan (C-HW). S-Y Tseng and C-L Lai contributed equally to this work.
authors.forename: Shiuan-Yu
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.forename: Pi-Shan
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Chung-Liang
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Wan-Chun
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Meng-Chih
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chun-Hou
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D018583:Pliability; D004856:Postural Balance; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014732:Vibration / Q000627:therapeutic use*