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Review
. 2020 Sep 8;9(9):2902.
doi: 10.3390/jcm9092902.

Resistance Exercise, Electrical Muscle Stimulation, and Whole-Body Vibration in Older Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Nejc Šarabon  1   2   3 , Žiga Kozinc  1   4 , Stefan Löfler  5   6 , Christian Hofer  7
Affiliations
Review

Resistance Exercise, Electrical Muscle Stimulation, and Whole-Body Vibration in Older Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Nejc Šarabon et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

It has been shown that resistance exercise (RT) is one of the most effective approaches to counteract the physical and functional changes associated with aging. This systematic review with meta-analysis compared the effects of RT, whole-body vibration (WBV), and electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) on muscle strength, body composition, and functional performance in older adults. A thorough literature review was conducted, and the analyses were limited to randomized controlled trials. In total, 63 studies were included in the meta-analysis (48 RT, 11 WBV, and 4 EMS). The results showed that RT and WBV are comparably effective for improving muscle strength, while the effects of EMS remains debated. RT interventions also improved some outcome measures related to functional performance, as well as the cross-sectional area of the quadriceps. Muscle mass was not significantly affected by RT. A limitation of the review is the smaller number of WBV and particularly EMS studies. For this reason, the effects of WBV and EMS could not be comprehensively compared to the effect of RT for all outcome measures. For the moment, RT or combinations of RT and WBV or EMS, is probably the most reliable way to improve muscle strength and functional performance, while the best approach to increase muscle mass in older adults remains open to further studies.

Keywords: elderly; electrical stimulation; falls; resistance exercise; sarcopenia; vibration.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Summary of search results. RT—resistance training; WBV—whole-body vibration; EMS—electrical muscle stimulation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effects of whole-body vibration, resistance exercise, and electrical muscle stimulation interventions on knee extension strength.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of resistance exercise interventions on back extension, leg press, and composite strength scores.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effect of resistance exercise interventions on muscle mass.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Effects of whole-body vibration and resistance exercise on sarcopenia index and quadriceps cross-sectional area.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Effects of whole-body vibration and resistance exercise on functional mobility tests.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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