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Abstract Efficient postural control results from an effective interplay between sensory feedbacks integration and muscle modulation and can be affected by ageing and neuromuscular injuries. With this study, we investigated the effect of whole-body vibratory stimulation on postural control strategies employed to maintain an upright posture. We explored both physiological and posturography metrics, through corticomuscular and intramuscular coherence, and muscle networks analyses. The stimulation disrupts balance in the short term, but leads to a greater contribution of cortical activity, necessary to modulate muscle activation via the formation of (new) synergies. We also observed a reconfiguration of muscle recruitment patterns that returned to pre-stimulation levels after few minutes, accompanied by a slight improvement of balance in the anterior–posterior direction. Our results suggest that, in the context of postural control, appropriate mechanical stimulation is capable of triggering a recalibration of the sensorimotor set and might offer new perspectives for motor re-education.

Abstract The aim of this study is to characterise the transient mechanical response and the neuromuscular activation of lower limb muscles in subjects undergoing Whole Body Vibration (WBV) at different frequencies while holding two static postures, with focus on muscles involved in shaping postural responses. Twenty-five participants underwent WBV at 15, 20, 25 and 30 Hz while in hack squat or on fore feet. Surface electromyography and soft tissue accelerations were collected from Gastrocnemius Lateralis (GL), Soleus (SOL) and Tibialis Anterior (TA) muscles. Estimated displacement at muscle bellies revealed a pattern never highlighted before that differed across frequencies and postures (p