ArticlesControlled whole body vibration to decrease fall risk and improve health-related quality of life of nursing home residents
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Participants
Forty-two volunteer nursing home residents aged 63 to 98 years (mean age, 81.9±6.9y) were recruited from a nursing home in Liège, Belgium. Residents were eligible for the study if they were ambulatory and had no major cognitive disorders that would affect their ability to complete a questionnaire. Patients with a high risk of thromboembolism or a history of hip or knee joint replacement were excluded. The patients were randomized to receive the vibration intervention plus a standard PT regimen
Results
Of the 42 study participants, 22 patients were randomized to the vibration group and 20 to the control group. Baseline characteristics of the 2 groups are summarized in table 1. In the ITT analysis, the treatment group was older than the control group (mean, 84.5y vs 78.9y; P=.03) and had a higher mean baseline TUG test time (36.1s vs 31.3s, P=.04); all other baseline measures were equal in the 2 groups. In the treatment group, 16 (72.7%) completed the final analysis at 6 weeks, but 20 were
Discussion
Our study is the first to suggest that a controlled whole body vibration intervention can improve gait, body balance, motor capacity, and self-rated HRQOL in elderly nursing home residents. Controlled whole body vibration improved our participants’ muscle strength and balance, which are known risk factors for falls. 2, 3, 7 At baseline, the intervention group had a mean Tinetti global score of 14.9/28, which was below the threshold (19/28) previously associated with an increased risk of falls.
Conclusions
Short training sessions using controlled whole body vibration 3 times a week for 6 weeks improved gait, body balance, motor capacity, and self-reported QOL in elderly nursing home residents. Larger studies with longer follow-up are needed to assess the lasting impact of these benefits.
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