A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF INCREASING BODY FLEXIBILITY WITH A WHOLE BODY VIBRATION MACHINE THAT AFFECTS CHANGES IN RANGE OF MOTION IN POLICE CADETS
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Abstract
Flexibility is a fundamental component of physical fitness, playing a direct role in joint and muscle movement and contributing to the prevention of injuries during training or operational activities. For police cadets who are required to undergo profession-specific physical training, adequate flexibility is essential to enhance physical readiness, reduce injury risk, and support the development of physical performance for safe and effective duty performance. This study aimed to investigate and compare the short-term effects of flexibility training alone and flexibility training combined with whole-body vibration on changes in range of motion in police cadets. This study employed a randomized controlled trial with a single-blinded design. The participants were 70 police cadets from Years 1 to 4 of the 2023 academic year who exhibited flexibility levels below the 50th percentile. Participants were randomly assigned using block randomization into a control group (n = 35), which performed flexibility training, and an experimental group (n = 35), which performed flexibility training combined with whole-body vibration. The training program consisted of sessions conducted every other day, with 30-minute training sessions on Days 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11, for a total of six sessions over 11 days. Flexibility was assessed using two tests: the sit and reach test and the back extension test. Within-group comparisons across pre-training, post-training Day 1, and post-training Day 11 were analyzed using one-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results demonstrated that both the control and experimental groups showed significant increases in range of motion in the sit and reach and back extension tests (p < 0.05). Furthermore, between-group comparisons using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that the experimental group exhibited significantly greater improvements in range of motion than the control group at post-training Day 11 (p < 0.05). In conclusion, flexibility training combined with whole-body vibration effectively enhances range of motion within a short period of 11 days.
Article Details
เนื้อหาและข้อมูลในบทความที่ลงตีพิมพ์ในวารสารวิทยาศาสตร์การกีฬาและนวัตกรรมสุขภาพ กลุ่มมหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏแห่งประเทศไทย ถือเป็นข้อคิดเห็นและความรับผิดชอบของผู้เขียนบทความโดยตรงซึ่งกองบรรณาธิการวารสาร ไม่จำเป็นต้องเห็นด้วย หรือร่วมรับผิดชอบใด ๆ
บทความ ข้อมูล เนื้อหา รูปภาพ ฯลฯ ที่ได้รับการตีพิมพ์ในวารสารวิทยาศาสตร์การกีฬาและนวัตกรรมสุขภาพ กลุ่มมหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏแห่งประเทศไทย ถือเป็นลิขสิทธิ์ของคณะวิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี มหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏศรีสะเกษ หากบุคคลหรือหน่วยงานใดต้องการนำทั้งหมดหรือส่วนหนึ่งส่วนใดไปเผยแพร่ต่อหรือเพื่อกระทำการใด จะต้องได้รับอนุญาตเป็นลายลักษณ์อักษรจากวารสารวิทยาศาสตร์การกีฬาและนวัตกรรมสุขภาพ กลุ่มมหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏแห่งประเทศไทย ก่อนเท่านั้น
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