Effects of 8-week Intensity-Controlled Whole-body Vibration Exercise on Architectural Properties of the Ankle Plantar flexors in Elderly Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

METHODS A randomized-controlled design was used. Three groups were recruited in this study (VI group (n=15, 69.5±3.9 years), ET Group (n=13, 68.5±4.0 years), CON Group (n=15, 69.9±3.3 years)). Ultrasound was used to measure the architecture parameters (pennation angle, fascicle length and muscle thickness) in the triceps surae muscles. And also, circumference of the lower leg was measured. During the 8-week exercise protocol, elderly women performed exercise program using their body weight on a whole-body vibration device (Pro6 power plate, Power plate International Ltd, UK). Changes in the muscle architecture and circumference were compared between groups by two-way repeated measures of ANOVA (2 groups x 4-time points, 3 groups x 2-time points), and an LSD post-hoc test and t-test were performed to determine significant differences between pairwise comparisons. The significance level was set at ⍺=.05.