Knee osteoarthritis can be a devastating condition that impairs quality of life. Luckily, vibration therapy has been found to significantly reduce knee pain and mobility issues in those suffering from arthritis.
Vibration training is a type of physical fitness regimen in which one stands or lies on a vibrating plate and experiences high-frequency mechanical oscillations. Studies have demonstrated how whole body vibration (WBV) therapy significantly improves physical function among those suffering from knee osteoarthritis.
Increased Muscle Mass
Rheumatoid arthritis patients often suffer from low bone density and weak muscles. This can significantly limit mobility, worsen symptoms of their condition and limit mobility altogether, so strengthening muscle mass through vibratory therapy has proven itself as an essential treatment method without placing additional stress on joints than traditional exercise techniques do.
Vibrating plates send mechanical vibrations through your body while you stand or lie on them, causing muscles to contract and relax dozens of times per second, strengthening overall muscle strength. According to research studies, using vibration plates has proven effective at increasing muscle strength, range of motion flexibility, physical performance and more.
Vibration therapy has numerous health benefits that go far beyond its effect on muscles. According to scientific research, vibrations may also help strengthen bones and ease symptoms associated with osteoarthritis. Scientists have discovered that vibrations stimulate bone cell production – something which helps slow bone loss while strengthening existing ones and improving their strength – proving particularly helpful for individuals suffering knee osteoarthritis where bone tissue is particularly susceptible to damage and degeneration.
Studies conducted using vibrating plates demonstrated how they could increase quadriceps muscle strength found within the knee joint. A variety of methods were used to assess vibration’s effects on knee-flexion strength including timed up and down stairs measurements (TUG), with results showing significant increases in knee-flexion strength among rheumatoid arthritis sufferers using one.
Vibration therapy is one of the most effective solutions available to help manage rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, so contact us now to find out more or make an initial appointment – let us help you live a happier and healthier life – you deserve it!
Reduced Inflammation
Vibration therapy for arthritis involves using a vibration machine which emits mechanical oscillations that travel throughout the body, stimulating muscle activity and creating stressors to strengthen bones. Vibration machines typically come equipped with various intensities and programs; some offer whole-body vibration (WBV) while others only travel as far as hips and lower spine.
Vibration machines as an aid for improving bone health and managing the symptoms of osteoarthritis is a relatively recent development. Studies have demonstrated how vibration training can reduce inflammation and build muscle mass while simultaneously increasing bone density and increasing strength of knee joint structures. When coupled with weight bearing exercise and diet modification, vibration therapy can significantly enhance treatment for osteoarthritis.
Vibration plates differ from regular treadmills in that they use mechanical vibration to activate muscles in your body. Vibrations cause your muscle fibers to contract and relax many times each second, mimicking high intensity workouts. Vibrations also stimulate nerve cells in order to produce protein molecules – this process is known as “cellular exercise”.
Study findings published in Disability and Rehabilitation have demonstrated that individuals who utilized vibration machines twice weekly experienced improved function, reduced pain and stiffness reduction in their knees. The 32 participants diagnosed with moderate degenerative changes were divided into two groups; Group 1 used vibrating machines with cycloidal oscillations while Group 2 utilized sham-based devices; each participant received 15 sessions with each device type before results were measured using visual analog scales, Laitinen questionnaire, goniometer range of motion and Knee Injury Osteoarthritis Outcome Score results were measured.
Another study, published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, demonstrated how WBV therapy could effectively decrease pain, increase range of motion, and enhance functional ability for individuals living with knee osteoarthritis (OA). This randomized controlled trial with 20 participants per group found that those using a vibration machine twice weekly for 12 weeks saw both reduced discomfort and increased mobility as a result of their treatments.
Improved Bone Density
Since the late 1900s, scientists have come to recognize vibration therapy‘s ability to increase bone density and prevent fractures. First used extensively by astronauts during space missions as they experienced bone loss and fractures at an exponentially greater rate compared to those not embarking on space adventures, this technology gained wide attention from health practitioners looking for ways to incorporate vibration therapy treatments in their practices.
Vibration therapy can be practiced on either a whole-body vibration plate, or it can be limited to specific areas. When used alongside regular exercise, whole-body vibration has been found to lead to increases in muscle mass and strength by stimulating muscle spindles – tiny sensors located at each muscle’s end that let your brain know when your muscles stretch or contract, providing data about force exerted from each muscle as well as how well it moves. This information allows the brain to calculate how much force the muscles can exert as well as how efficiently they move.
Vibration therapy appears to stimulate osteoblast production, the cells responsible for making new bone tissue. This may help slow bone loss in those living with osteoarthritis. When combined with weight bearing exercise, vitamin D supplementation and eating right, vibration therapy may strengthen bones and help avoid osteoporosis.
Osteoarthritis can weaken joints, leading to pain, stiffness, and limited mobility. Worsening of knee joints leads to swelling, deformity and distortion of limb axis – most prevalent among women after 50. Osteoarthritis often results in reduced quality of life for affected individuals.
Though there is no cure for osteoarthritis, science continues to look for effective and efficient ways of managing its symptoms. Vibration therapy may be one of the newest and best tools available; research shows whole-body vibration can increase muscular strength and physical performance among those living with knee osteoarthritis; when used alongside exercises this form of vibration therapy can result in improvements to pain, mobility and knee extensor muscle strength.
Reduced Pain
Painful arthritis symptoms can make daily tasks challenging, significantly diminishing quality of life. While medications can provide temporary relief, they often come with side effects. Vibration therapy offers an alternative that could provide significant relief from arthritis and other painful conditions.
Vibration therapy aims to stimulate muscles and bones within the body through mechanical oscillations. During a full-body vibration session, vibrations travel throughout the body to activate primary endings of muscle spindles that activate alpha motor neurons to contract muscles – similar to what happens during exercise – for enhanced muscle power and mobility benefits. Furthermore, vibration increases bone density through its influence on osteoblast activity.
Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of whole-body vibration therapy to ease knee pain, increase muscle strength and decrease disability for people living with osteoarthritis. Researchers utilized Laitinen pain questionnaire, Berg balance scale and six-minute walk test as assessment tools of pain levels and physical functions of those suffering knee osteoarthritis; those receiving vibration therapy reported significantly less discomfort compared with those who did not undergo treatment.
Knee pain is an obvious symptom of osteoarthritis and it may become excruciatingly uncomfortable over time. Physical activities or even rest can bring on sudden attacks of pain; stiffness in the knee joint makes matters worse, as does reduced flexibility to bend or straighten it. Some patients even report hearing crackling sounds in their knee, signalling damage to its articular cartilage.
Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of vibration therapy to alleviate knee pain associated with osteoarthritis, and even increase quadriceps strength. A comprehensive review of 14 randomized controlled trials determined that when combined with exercises, vibration therapy significantly enhanced knee function based on measures such as Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), 6-minute walk tests, Berg Balance Scale Scores, and sitting Balance Control Scoring Systems scores.
These studies involved individuals with both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, as well as those who were healthy, including both those living with chronic pain conditions such as arthritis and those without. Their outcomes mirrored previous research that demonstrated whole-body vibration can increase muscle mass, improve balance and gait, lower back pain relief, inflammation reduction, improved bone density enhancement and decreased risks of falls.
