The Effects of Acute Vibration with Exercises Applied to the Lower Extremities on Balance Performance

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of exercises with acute vibration applied to the lower extremities on balance performance. The study included 68 voluntary participants, consisting of 34 male and 34 female athletes specializing in different branches who were students at the Faculty of Sport Sciences at Erciyes University. The participants were randomly divided into three groups, and different protocols were applied in each group. These groups were the exercise (E) group, the vibration + exercise (VE) group, and the control (C) group. Dynamic squats, standing calf raises (static surface), and right and left lunge exercises were performed for 30 s in the E and VE group, while no intervention was made in the C group during the same time. The VE group performed the exercises on the DKN XG10 vibration platform with vibration at 30 Hz, while the E group performed the same exercises on the same platform without vibration. The static and dynamic balance performance levels of the participants were measured using the Biodex Balance System (BBS) before and after the protocols, and the results were statistically compared. In the intragroup comparisons, there were significant differences between the pretest and posttest static balance parameters of the E group regarding their OSI and APSI values (p<0.05). Moreover, in terms of dynamic balance parameters, the OSI and MLSI results (p<0.01) of the VE group and the OSI (p<0.01), APSI (p<0.01), and MLSI results (p<0.05) of the E group varied significantly between the pretest and the posttest. In further studies, it is recommended to investigate the effects of different exercise types, acute vibration applied at different frequencies or durations on balance performance.