Added Effect of Whole Body Vibration versus Focal Vibration along with Conventional Exercises on Balance in Older Adults

Background:  As the part of the aging process older adults show decline in various physiological systems of the body. The age related decline in Nervous system cause anatomical changes in the brain which result in neuronal loss. Pacinian corpuscles, which sense the vibratory stimuli, decrease in density with advancing age. This results in balance impairment, loss of muscle strength, muscle endurance and power, loss of mobility, cognitive decline, decrease aerobic capacity, decline in visual acuity, decrease touch sensation and vestibular dysfunction. Therefore, improving balance and thereby enhancing the quality of life in older adults forms an integral part of a rehabilitation program. The Conventional exercise program mainly focuses on the muscle strength, power, endurance and flexibility for balance improvement in older adults. The WBV training is one in which mechanical vibrations are transmitted from the feet to the rest of the body using a vibrating platform for 3 min with 1 min of interval between each repetition for 3 repetitions. Focal Vibration is a hand held device or wearable device which uses frequency of 100 Hz. The effective time required for focal vibration to have an effect is 40s to 3 min bilaterally on each muscle. 3 major muscles of the lower limb are targeted– Quadriceps, Tibialis Anterior and Gastrocnemius which thereby helps in improving balance. So the purpose of this study is to compare WBV with FV and to assess which exercise program is more effective in improving balance in older adults.

 Material and Methods:  In this study 40 participants will be selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. With purposive sampling participants will be divided into two groups, Group A and Group B. Group A will be given WBV along with conventional exercise 3 times a week for 6 weeks. Group B will be given FV along with conventional exercise 3 times a week for 6 weeks. Pre and Post intervention assessment of static balance will be taken by Functional Reach Test and dynamic balance by using POMA scale.