Impact of Whole-Body Vibration Therapy in Elderly Populations: A Scoping Review

The aging population faces neuromuscular stability, balance, and cardiovascular health challenges. This comes with a financial burden, morbidity, and reduced quality of life. Whole-body vibration (WBV) is a potential noninvasive therapy to address these challenges. This review aimed to determine and document the quality and extent of WBV therapy benefits in the elderly, as reported in the literature. OVID, EMBASE, and Web of Science were searched for peer-reviewed articles written in English between January 2008 and November 2024. Included were articles involving WBV effects on cardiovascular hemodynamics, neuromuscular stability, and sarcopenia in persons aged 50 and older. The initial search yielded 467 articles, and 37 were included for final review. The reported cardiovascular benefits of WBV included increased skin blood flow and improved markers of endothelial cell function. Mixed results exist for arterial stiffness metrics, and there was no significant impact of WBV on blood pressure. The most promising evidence relates to sarcopenia, where significant improvements were reported in muscle strength, performance, and functionality. Elderly persons with osteoarthritis had similar results, in addition to reduced pain and stiffness. Patients with Parkinson's disease were reported to have improvements in tremor, rigidity, and postural stability. In contrast, stroke patients had mixed results in muscle activation but showed improvement in ankle joint proprioception. We conclude that although there is some evidence supporting the benefits of WBV on heart rate, muscle strength, function, and arterial stiffness, contradictory findings are reported. This points to the need for further research and a better definition of the optimal dosage of WBV, including its amplitude and frequency.