Efficacy of a whole-body vibration intervention to effect exercise tolerance and functional performance of the lower limbs of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

This clinically registered trial is a non-randomised placebo cross-over intervention based in the home of each participant (ACTRN12612000508875). Participants diagnosed with COPD will complete a six-week WBV intervention and then after a two-week washout period, will complete a six-week placebo training intervention. Participants will complete sessions twice a week. The duration of the trial is 14 weeks. Community-dwelling older adults with COPD will provide informed voluntary consent to participate. Outcome measures will include immediate, acute, and long-term responses to exercise.Quantifying responses to WBV among people with COPD will allow discussion of efficacy of WBV as a mode of physical activity. The skill required by the participant to perform physical activity with WBV is not demanding and may enhance habitual sustainability. The results of this trial could be used to support further research in both clinical and community settings.Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR12612000508875)The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) current definition of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a lung ailment fundamentally characterised by persistent blockage of airflow from the lungs [1]. In 2004 the WHO estimated 64 million global cases of COPD and later predicted COPD to become the third leading cause of death by 2030 [2]. Among Australians, COPD was the third leading cause of burden of disease and injury behind ischaemic heart disease and stroke [3]. Somewhat understandably, tobacco usage was listed with physical inactivity as the two leading risk factors eliciting burden of disease in Australia [3]. Although not always the case, tobacco smoke is the leading risk factor for COPD [4]. While the cost of COPD in Australia has not been directly estimated, respiratory disease alone accounted for AU$3.31 billon (6.3%) of the total allocated health expenditure in Australia [5].Given that COPD diminishes the ability of the lungs to supply the body