Whole Body Vibration at Different Exposure Frequencies: Infrared Thermography and Physiological Effects

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of whole body vibration (WBV) on physiological parameters, cutaneous temperature, tactile sensitivity, and balance. Twenty-four healthy adults (25.3 ± 2.6 years) participated in four WBV sessions. They spent 15 minutes on a vibration platform in the vertical mode at four different frequencies (31, 35, 40, and 44 Hz) with 1 mm of amplitude. All variables were measured before and after WBV exposure. Pressure sensation in five anatomical regions and both feet was determined using Von Frey monofilaments. Postural sway was measured using a force plate. Cutaneous temperature was obtained with an infrared camera. WBV influences the discharge of the skin touch-pressure receptors, decreasing sensitivity at all measured frequencies and foot regions (P ≤ 0.05). Regarding balance, no differences were found after 20 minutes of WBV at frequencies of 31 and 35 Hz. At 40 and 44 Hz, participants showed higher anterior-posterior center of pressure (COP) velocity and length. The cutaneous temperature of the lower limbs decreased during and 10 minutes after WBV. WBV decreases touch-pressure sensitivity at all measured frequencies 10 min after exposure. This may be related to the impaired balance at higher frequencies since these variables have a role in maintaining postural stability. Vasoconstriction might explain the decreased lower limb temperature.

A systematic review of studies investigating the effects of controlled whole‐body vibration intervention on peripheral circulation

“…() and Sonza et al . (). Further examination of bibliographies and relevant review articles did not yield any more articles.…”

“…Other studies performed the intervention barefoot (Kerschan‐Schindl et al ., ; Lohman et al ., ; Lohman et al ., ; Lythgo et al ., ; Robbins et al ., ; Seixas et al . ; Sonza et al ., ), or wearing shoes (Herrero et al ., , ; Johnson et al ., ; Manimmanakorn et al ., ; Menéndez et al ., ) or socks (Games & Sefton, ).…”

A whole body vibration perception map and associated acceleration loads at the lower leg, hip and head

“…Research articles have demonstrated that WBV therapy can bring benefits for improving muscle strength [5,22], bone remodeling [23,30] and for Parkinson's disease [12,14]. However WBV can also cause negative effects by decreasing the sensitivity of fast-adapting mechanoreceptors in the human skin, and affecting balance [11,26,27]; its effects can range from no effect to potentially harmful, depending on the variables selected [10,13,24].…”

“…This is due to different vibration conditions (amplitude, frequency, oscillation mode), varying subject populations (age and health status), and different study designs. There is a need for research to determine the effects of WBV caused by changes in WBV frequencies and amplitudes [27] to various parts of the body.…”

Relationship between shoulder pain and skin temperature measured by infrared thermography in a wheelchair propulsion test

“…The application and usefulness of this tool in WCUs has been demonstrated at restcondition [15,16], as well as its relation with SP in this population [15]. However, thermographic studies during exercise have been carried out only with able-bodied at present [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. To the best of our knowledge, there are two pilot studies from the same research team that have studied the T sk of wheelchair users in response to exercise using infrared thermography [25,26], unfortunately they do not provide demographic or IRT data.…”