OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of whole body vibration in the elderly. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Nursing home. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-two elderly volunteers. INTERVENTIONS: Six-week vibration intervention plus physical therapy (PT) (n = 22) or PT alone (n = 20). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We assessed gait and body balance using the Tinetti test (maximum scores of 12 for gait, 16 for body balance, 28 for global score), motor capacity using the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). RESULTS: After 6 weeks, the vibration intervention group improved by a mean +/- standard deviation of 2.4 +/- 2.3 points on the gait score compared with no score change in the control group (p < 0.001). The intervention group improved by 3.5 +/- 2.1 points on the body balance score compared with a decrease of 0.3 +/- 1.2 points in the control group (p < 0.001). TUG test time decreased by 11.0 +/- 8.6 seconds in the treated group compared with an increase of 2.6 +/- 8.8 seconds in the control group (p < 0.001). The intervention group had significantly greater improvements from baseline on 8 of 9 items on the SF-36 compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Controlled whole body vibration can improve elements of fall risk and HRQOL in elderly patients.

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