Amorim, Natalia Tarcila Santos, Cavalcanti, Frederico Castelo Branco, Moura, Elaine Cristina Santa Cruz de, Sobral Filho, Dário, Leitão, Clézio Cordeiro de Sá, Almeida, Marcella Markman de, and Marinho, Patrícia Érika de Melo
Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) can be a therapeutic recovery strategy for patients hospitalized for COVID-19. To evaluate the effects of a 36-session WBV protocol on the risk of falls, balance, mobility and heart rate variability (HRV). A randomized clinical trial. 13 patients affected by COVID-19, trained with WBV, 3×/week on alternate days, totaling 36 sessions, were evaluated before and after the intervention. WBV training at 2 mm and 4 mm amplitude resulted in a reduction in the risk of falls when compared to Sham (p = 0.023), with effect size of 0.530. No changes were observed for mobility and balance outcomes (p = 0.127) or for any of the HRV variables (p = 0.386). WBV training reduced the risk of falls in post-COVID patients. No changes were observed regarding balance and mobility, nor for HRV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]