Whole Body Vibration in Obese Female Students

Obese and overweight young people swayed at a higher rate than people of normal weight. Two hypotheses have been offered to explain the negative effect of weight on balance control. The first is decreased plantar sensitivity as a result of hyper-activation of plantar mechanoreceptors caused by the constant pressure of supporting a heavy burden. The second theory is that there is a higher mechanical demand owing to the big body mass itself, as well as a non-negligible amount of body mass further away from the axis of rotation (i.e., ankle joint in an inverted pendulum model) that creates a higher gravitational torque. As a result, in order to maintain an upright posture, the gravitational torque that accelerates the body must be opposed by muscle torques.

WBV is a mechanical stimulation characterized by oscillatory motion supplied from a platform to the entire body. The current devices employ two distinct systems: (a) a vertical vibration, in which the entire plate oscillates uniformly up and down with only a vertical translation; and (b) reciprocating vertical displacements on the left and right sides of a fulcrum, which increases the lateral accelerations. WBV training includes biomechanical characteristics such as body position, amplitude, frequency, magnitude, and duration.

Inclusion criteria

• Female students
• BMI ≥ 30
• Aged from 18 to 25 years old

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnancy
• Musculoskeletal disorders
• History of spinal surgery
• Epilepsy
• Medications that could affect the musculoskeletal system
• Performing regular exercise of more than 3 times a week
• Metal plates in the body
• Ligament sprain
• Medical history such as cardiovascular disease, or diabetes mellitus