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Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Whole Body Vibration Methods with Survivors of Polio
Published on: October 17, 2018
Hormonal responses to a single session of wholebody vibration exercise in older individuals
M Cardinale1, R L Soiza, J B Leiper
1Olympic Medical Institute, Northwick Park Hospital, Watford Road, Harrow HA1 3UJ, UK. marco.cardinale@boa.org.uk
Objective:
Whole-body vibration (WBV) has been recently suggested as an alternative form of exercise. In this study, the acute effects of a single session of WBV exercise on anabolic hormones in aged individuals were analysed.
Design:
A randomised cross-over trial design was used.
Settings:
Geriatrics Department, Woodend Hospital.
Participants:
20 individuals (9 men and 11 women; median age 70 years (range 66 to 85 years) volunteered in the experiment. Interventions Isometric squat on a platform with vibration or no vibration (control) conditions.
Main Outcome Measurements:
Plasma cortisol, testosterone, growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) were measured before, immediately after, and 1 and 2 h after the interventions.
Reports:
A significant difference between treatments (p<0.001) and a time x treatment interaction (p<0.05) was found in IGF-1 levels. Cortisol levels were shown not to be significantly different between treatments (p = 0.43), but a difference over time (p<0.001) and a time6 treatment interaction (p<0.05) were identified. No significant differences were identified in GH and testosterone levels.
Conclusions:
As shown by the results of the study, 5 min of WBV exercise characterised by static squat with a frequency of 30 Hz can be performed by older individuals without apparent signs of stress and/or fatigue. Furthermore, WBV produced an acute increase in the circulating levels IGF-1 and cortisol greater than that observed following the same exercise protocol conducted without vibration.
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