Comparison of Leg Muscle Activity and Vibration Propagation During Whole Body Vibration Between Older and Young Adult Populations

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Abstract

Whole body vibration (WBV) platforms are commonly used as a tool to enhance muscle activity. Scientific literature has studied these platforms to understand how certain boundary conditions (vibration frequency, amplitude, standing position, etc.) affect muscle activity. These studies focused primarily on young, trained adults. Older adults may also benefit from these platforms, but may react differently to a vibration stimulus. Another aspect studied relates to the acceleration experienced throughout the body during WBV, as high accelerations may produce undesirable effects. However, the effect of age on these results has not been quantified. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare leg muscle activity and the transmission of acceleration through the body in older adults (55+ years) and younger, trained adults (18 to 35 years). The effect of different vibration frequencies (6Hz, 11Hz, and 16Hz) and different amplitudes (0.9mm, 2.5mm, and 4mm) were quantified and compared. When compared to younger adults, older adults experienced higher muscle activity in six of seven muscles measured. Altering the vibration amplitude affected the muscle activity more than altering the vibration frequency. The acceleration transmission was similar for the young and the old cohorts.

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