Acute Effects of Whole-Body Vibration on Balance and Flexibility with and without Shoes

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of acute whole-body vibration (WBV) on static and dynamic balance and flexibility. Eight female and eight male, mean age 25 ± 3 years, college students volunteered to participate in the study. In randomized cross-over study design, participants were assigned to complete four treatment conditions: shoes + CONTROL (CON), shoes + WBV, no shoes + CON, and no shoes + WBV and then performed maximal standing on one leg, functional reach and sit-and-reach tests. The WBV treatment was five minutes standing (alternating 30s straight knees + 30s slightly bent knees) at a frequency of 30 Hz and amplitude of 2 mm. A significant main effect of longer maximum standing on one leg time was observed following WBV regardless of shoes or no shoes condition (p = 0.02) for both genders. Additionally, a trend approaching significance was observed for functional reach test (p = 0.053), but not for sit-andreach test (p = 0.46). The findings of the present study indicate that acute exposure to WBV has a potential to improve static and dynamic balance, therefore, may provide supplementary benefits to a balance training and rehabilitation programs.