Whole-body vibration and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

This study is a non-randomised placebo cross-over intervention based in a community setting. Participants diagnosed with COPD will complete six weeks of whole-body vibration training and then after a two week washout period, will complete a six week placebo training intervention. Participants will complete training sessions twice a week. The duration of the study is 14 weeks. Community-dwelling older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will provide informed voluntary consent to participate. Outcome measures will include selected variabes of exercise tolearance and functional performance of the lower limbs. The WBV intervention will consist 12 WBV sessions over a consecutive six week period. The participants will complete two vibration sessions per week separated by at least 48 hours. Efficacy of session frequency had been previously established for healthy community dwelling older adults. A WBV session will consist of five, 60 second vibration bouts, interspersed with 60 seconds of passive rest. Although the most effective protocol is yet to be established, the selected protocol had been used previously to establish efficacy of WBV interventions. During rest, the participant will remain on the vibration platform and will be encouraged to stand with a posture that resembles the ‘anatomical position’. More specifically, the participant assumes a standing position with the feet together, the arms to the side, and the head, eyes and palms facing forwards. The forearms are supinated. A side alternating vibration platform will be used. For each vibration bout, platform frequency will be 25 Hz, peak-to-peak displacement 2.0 mm, peak acceleration ~24.67 m.s-2, and gravitational force ~2.52 g. The vibration platform peak-to-peak displacement and frequency were validated prior to this proposal in an unpublished pilot study. Foot placement (second toe) will be equidistant, 20 cm from axis of rotation. The participant will wear flat soled shoes. Skidding will be checked according to the recommended method of the International Society of Musculoskeletal and Neuronal Interactions. A piece of paper will be placed under the foot during a vibration bout to ensure constant contact with the vibration platform. The participant will be required to stand with ~20 degrees knee flexion to allow transmission of vibration about the lower limbs. Knee angle will be filmed, and later quantified across the intervention for each participant.