Effect of Whole Body Vibration Therapy on Performance Recovery

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare whole body vibration (WBV) to traditional recovery protocols following a high intensity training bout.

METHODS: In a randomized crossover study, 16 athletes performed 6 x 30-s Wingate sprints before completing either: 1) an active recovery (10 min of cycling and stretching) or 2) WBV for 10 min in a series of exercises on a vibration platform. Muscle hemodynamics (assessed via near infrared spectroscopy) were measured before, during exercise, and into the 10-min recovery period. Blood lactate concentration, vertical jump, quadriceps strength, flexibility, rate of perceived exertion (RPE), muscle soreness and performance during a single 30-s Wingate test were assessed at baseline, 30 and 60 min post exercise. A subset of participants (n=6) completed a third identical trial (one week later) using a passive 10-min recovery period (sitting).

RESULTS: There were no clear effects between the recovery protocols for blood lactate concentration, quadriceps strength, jump height, flexibility, RPE, muscle soreness or single Wingate performance across all measured recovery time points. However, the WBV recovery protocol substantially increased the tissue oxygenation index compared to the active (11.2 ± 2.4% [mean ± 95% CI], effect size [ES] = 3.1, and -7.3 ± 4.1%, ES = -2.1 for the 10 min post exercise and post recovery respectively) and passive recovery conditions (4.1 ± 2.2%, ES = 1.3, 10 min post exercise only).

CONCLUSION: Although WBV during recovery increased muscle oxygenation, it had little effect at improving subsequent performance compared to a normal active recovery.