Vertical whole-body vibration does not increase cardiovascular stress to static semi-squat exercise

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of vertical whole-body vibration (WBV) on heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), femoral artery blood flow (FBF), and leg skin temperature (LSk(temp)) during static exercise. These parameters were examined: seated next to the WBV device (passive, unloaded), with feet secured onto the WBV platform (knees 90 degrees flexion) and while standing in a semi-squat position (static, loaded, knees 120 degrees flexion); both with and without WBV. Conditions involved 1 min bouts separated by 1 min rest, repeated 15 times followed by 10 min recovery. WBV in the seated condition had no effect on the responses examined. The static semi-squat without WBV increased MAP 9 mmHg (P < 0.05) with no significant effect on HR, FBF, or LSk(temp). Similarly, WBV static semi-squat increased MAP 8-14 mmHg (P < 0.05), FBF 135-180 mL/min, and LSk(temp) 1.8-3.1 degrees C (P < 0.05). However, only the LSk(temp) was increased above the no-WBV semi-squat position (P < 0.05). The addition of WBV to repeated intermittent static semi-squats does not appear to be a significant cardiovascular stressor.