Background: Whole-body vibration (WBV) represents the mechanical stimulus that enters the human body through the feet, while a person is standing on a vibrating plate in different positions or performing exercises. Because of the existing contradictions as to whether WBV is beneficial and which parameters may be the most suitable, the purpose of the review was to determine the effect of WBV training on lower extremity muscle performance. Methods: Literature search was performed on the PubMed database from where, based on the set criteria, studies were selected to be included in the review. Results: 15 studies in which they compared the effectiveness of vibration exercise with the same exercise performed without vibration met the criteria. In nine studies, they found that the exercise with vibration is more effective in improving individual components of muscular performance than the exercise without vibration. The rest found no additional effect of WBV. Conclusions: Vibration exercise is not only comparable to exercise without vibration, but also has an additional benefit in improving muscle performance, particularly isometric muscle strength. Different protocols have different training effects, but because of many differences in the methodologies used for vibration training, optimal vibration characteristics and exercise protocol could not be accurately determined.
|