The Acute Effect of Whole Body Vibration on Hip and Spine Flexibility

Authors

  • Nantia Karatrantou University of Thessaly, Department of Physical Education and Sport Science
  • Vassilis Gerodimos University of Thessaly, Department of Physical Education and Sport Science
  • Sotiris Sotiriadis University of Thessaly, Department of Physical Education and Sport Science
  • Konstantina Chanou University of Thessaly, Department of Physical Education and Sport Science
  • Irene Papaioannou University of Thessaly, Department of Physical Education and Sport Science

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26253/heal.uth.ojs.ispe.2008.1288

Keywords:

flexibility, whole body vibration (WBV), acute effect

Abstract

Vibration has been widely recognised as an exercise intervention for rehabilitation as well as for the development of physical performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute effect of wholebody vibration (WBV) training on the flexibility of the hip and lower back. Sixteen young, physically active females (20.59 ± 1.9yrs) volunteered to participate in the present study. They took part in two protocols: the WBV protocol and the control protocol. During both interventions participants were standing at an upright position, maintaining their knees semi-flexed on a vibrating platform (Galileo Fitness, Novotec, Germany). The first protocol included a 6-minute training session at a fixed frequency and amplitude (25Hz, 4mm), while in the control protocol no vibration was performed. The flexibility of the hip and the lower back was measured using a sit-and-reach test before, immediately after and 15min after each intervention. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), (protocol x measurement, 2 x 3) was used with repeated measurements of both factors as well as a Tukey’s post hoc analysis whenever necessary. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. The results showed statistically significant interaction between the factors protocol and measurement (p<.05). Specifically, the WBV protocol showed statistically significant difference between the measurements (p<.001), compared to the control protocol. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between the protocols at pre-test values, whereas in the second and third measurement there was statistically significant difference between the protocols (p<.01). According to the results, in the WBV protocol significant improvement of flexibility was observed (4.5 ± 3.5%). In conclusion, it seems that the WBV training positively affects the flexibility of young female adults. 

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Published

2008-12-31

How to Cite

Karatrantou Ν., Gerodimos Β., Sotiriadis Σ., Chanou Κ., & Papaioannou Ε. (2008). The Acute Effect of Whole Body Vibration on Hip and Spine Flexibility. Inquiries in Physical Education and Sport, 6(3), 340–347. https://doi.org/10.26253/heal.uth.ojs.ispe.2008.1288

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Section

Articles