Difference between neck muscle vibration and gluteus muscle vibration on standing balance in healthy subjects

Abstract

Introduction Muscle vibrations can be used to induce a body tilt. Even though several muscle sites have been tested for various diseases their respective mode of action were not highlighted. The objective was to compare the effects of neck muscle vibrations (NMV) and gluteus medius vibrations (GMV) on posture in healthy subjects. Material and methods Thirty-one healthy subjects (23yr ± 2) were tested, closed eyes, in standing position on force platform with Optitrack 3D capture system. They received successively a 5 min-session of NMV and 5 min-session of GMV in a randomized order. They were evaluated during the vibration, immediately at the end of the vibration and 5 minutes after. Results GMV induced a Center of Pressure tilt to the opposite side of the vibration (−7.6 ± 2 mm P Discussion These results are in favor of a different mode of action between neck and gluteus medius vibrations.