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Effects of whole body vibration intervention on handgrip strength of Brazilian healthy soldiers


Danielle Soares Morel
Eloá Moreira-Marconi
Samuel Brandão Sobrinho Neto
Laisa Liane Paineiras Domingos
Patrícia Lopes de Souza
Danúbia da Cunha de Sá Caputo
Glenda Dias Costa
Cláudia Ferreira de Figueiredo
Roberto Carlos Resende Carmo
Patrícia de Castro de Paiva
Cintia Renata Sousa Gonçalves
Cristiane Ribeiro Kütter
Eliane de Oliveira Guedes de Aguiar
Mario Bernardo-Filho

Abstract

Background: Whole body vibration (WBV) exercises have been investigated as an alternative and complementary method to traditional resistance programs for fitness improvements in healthy subjects. Active militaries must have a high fitness level and have to improve some physical abilities to accomplish some specific tasks in Army, as climb ropes, climb walls and pull up.

Materials and methods: Seven young and healthy soldiers from Brazilian Army were exposed to mechanical vibration in a push-up position, with different frequencies, as 25 (first session), 30 (second session), 35 (third session), 40 (fourth session) and 45 Hz (fifth session). The WBV intervention consisted of five WBV sessions over a consecutive two and a half-weeks period of time. A WBV session consisted of twenty bouts, each one with 10- second vibration, interspersed with 10 seconds of passive rest and 4 minutes pause after the first 10 bouts. Handgrip strength was measured, as proposed by American Society of Hand Therapists – ASHT, before and after the session using 25 Hz of frequency and 45 Hz of frequency (1st and 5th sessions).

Results: No significant results were found between groups.

Conclusion: Intervention of WBV exercises with 25 and 45 Hz of frequency applied by hands of healthy and young soldiers had no significant results. Further investigations should focus on the efficacy of WBV in the improvement of handgrip strength of young and healthy people.

Keywords: mechanical vibrations, exercises, military, hand


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eISSN: 0189-6016