Abstract:
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of mortality in the spinal cord injured (SCI)
population. Reduced arterial compliance is a cardiovascular risk factor and whole body
vibration (WBV) has be en shown to improve arterial compliance in able-bodied
individuals. The study investigated the effect of an acute session ofWBV on arterial
compliance as measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV). On separate days, arm, leg and
aortic PWV were measured pre- and post- a 45 minute session of passive stance (PS) and
WBV. The WBV was intermittent with a set frequency of 45Hz and amplitude of O.6mm.
There was no condition by time effect when comparing PWV after WBV and PS.
Following WBV, aortic (928.6±127.7 vs. 901.1±96.6cm/sec), leg (1035.2±113.8
vs.l099.8±114.2cm/sec) and arm PWV (1118.9±119.8 vs. 1181.1±124.4cm/s) did not
change. As such, WBV did not reduce arterial compliance, however future research with
protocol modifications is recommended.
