Benefits of Equine Vibration Plate Therapy
Studies have demonstrated that equine vibration plate therapy strengthens muscles in an effective yet low-impact manner, making it suitable for horses suffering soft tissue injuries or hoof problems without placing undue stress on their bodies. Furthermore, it prevents bone resorption while increasing bone density.
One study demonstrated that 30 days of WBV led to an increase in multifidus muscle cross-sectional area – an essential stabilizer of spinal column stability. Other research has also demonstrated how WBV strengthens ligaments and tendons while simultaneously improving hoof growth and stability.
Improved Circulation
Vibration plate therapy (also referred to as whole-body vibration or power plate) has become increasingly popular within the equine industry. The device uses vibration to stimulate circulation in a horse’s body, increasing oxygen flow while decreasing metabolic waste products; this helps increase recovery and performance during rehab or training programs.
When a horse stands on a vibration plate, its muscles experience microscopic contractions which engage them and strengthen them over time. These contractions help improve muscle tone and strength as well as promote cell metabolism and bone growth; vibrations may help improve a horse’s balance and posture as well as its immune system which can aid injury prevention and overall health maintenance.
One recent study concluded that vibration therapy improved blood flow to lower leg areas, decreasing swelling and hastening healing for tendons and ligaments. This may prove particularly useful in horses suffering from injuries such as quarter cracks or chronic laminitis. Furthermore, a vibration plate can also be used as an pre-competition warm-up to increase oxygenation and blood flow to muscles while decreasing risk of exercise-induced colic.
Vibration plates offer many other advantages, one being strengthening of multifidus muscles – key contributors to spine stability that often atrophy with back pain sufferers or weak in aged horses. A 30-day WBV program resulted in significant increases to multifidus cross-sectional area.
Alternative therapies have gained prominence in the equine industry as an effective means to boost performance, relieve stress and promote health. While these therapies may work alongside traditional veterinary medicine or as standalone solutions, veterinarians must carefully review them and their claims prior to recommending them to clients. In order to ensure effectiveness and safety for each therapy offered by clients. A full physical exam must also be performed on each horse and review client history in order to properly determine which setting and duration would work best with each horse in need of therapy.
Strengthened Muscles
When horses stand on a vibration plate, its microscopic vibrations cause reflexive muscle contractions to strengthen muscles, increase tone and flexibility, improve stability, rebalance them as well as increase blood flow to deliver oxygen more efficiently, remove waste materials more quickly as well as decrease pain and inflammation.
Whole-body vibration therapy can be tailored specifically to each horse, making it suitable for injury prevention, rehabilitation, training, and performance enhancement. Vibrations stimulate all areas of the body but especially absorb into bones where they mimic micro-forces of ground concussion to protect bone tissue while stimulating osteoblast production.
Studies have demonstrated that regular vibration plate therapy for horses significantly improves their skeletal structure by increasing muscle mass, bone density and flexibility while simultaneously strengthening muscles tone and strength for improved balance, coordination and gait speed as well as decreasing lactic acid buildup – thus enabling horses to work harder over longer periods of time and improve performance in athletic endeavors such as springing dressage racing etc.
Vibration plate technology was originally developed to aid astronauts’ bone and muscle loss, but quickly found its way into health industry as an aid for healthy aging and injury recovery. Studies have demonstrated that whole-body vibration therapy significantly improves muscular strength and endurance while speeding recovery following physical exertion or injury.
Therapy using electromagnetic pulses may also help with musculoskeletal issues by blocking certain pain signals to the spinal cord, relieving muscle discomfort while decreasing swelling and inflammation. It’s an ideal treatment option for horses suffering backache; specifically beneficial when applied to multifidus muscle pain.
This study’s research was based on anecdotal experience from horses treated by PEMF companies. PEMF devices pulse low level electrical current through coils of wire that drape across a horse’s body to jumpstart biological cell reactions faster. Since new therapies are continually emerging, it is best to consult a veterinarian prior to making changes to any treatment plans or initiating any new regimens.
Relieved Pain
Horses standing on vibration plates are exposed to subtle movements that activate muscle fibers and improve circulation, aiding healing, reducing stiffness, supporting recovery from injury or surgery, as well as stimulating their lymphatic systems to remove waste products from their bodies more quickly and reduce inflammation. Furthermore, this form of therapy also relieves any associated pain in horses.
An animal with back pain can display various behavioral responses, including bucking, kicking, biting and swishing of its tail. Depending on its severity, some veterinarians might suggest chiropractic, acupuncture or massage therapy; however these modalities can be expensive and require regular treatments in order to remain effective. To meet this cost-effective challenge of pain management the BM Horse VIBRO 2300 vibration plate offers an alternative cost-effective solution: increasing blood flow to muscles and joints, releasing energy in tendons and ligaments and stimulating bone density growth while strengthening deep muscles hard to engage via traditional treatments alone.
WBV has been found to provide significant relief of low back pain for humans after just a few sessions, but researchers were uncertain whether it would have the same results on horses’ backs. To find out, researchers performed measurements on pain response and multifidus muscle cross-sectional area (CSA). In total, four-week measurements were collected.
The results of the study demonstrated that horses subjected to WBV demonstrated decreased pain responses compared to controls, likely as a result of contracted muscle groups during vibration treatment. Furthermore, multifidus muscle CSA increased significantly among horses subjected to WBV treatment, suggesting it may help ease back discomfort.
Other studies have also reported that frequency and amplitude of vibration can have an influence on muscle contraction; however, results vary. Some of these studies used shorter duration and/or had fewer sessions each week that may have reduced its positive effects. It’s also essential that type of vibrational movement be considered: some vibration plates operate with side to side or jackhammer movements that could actually pose dangers to horses while BM Horse VIBRO 2300 utilizes vertical vibration which lowers risk of injury.
Reduced Inflammation
Vibrating plates provide vertical impulses that mimic the forces generated by walking, running and jumping, providing vertical impulses which stimulate bones, muscles, nerves and circulatory systems without shearing or impact force – helping prevent injuries while supporting recovery efforts and improving conditioning.
Horse muscles respond to vibration by contracting and stretching in response, much like humans would. These reflexes increase circulation and oxygen supply to muscles while decreasing inflammation. Vibration also activates lymphatic drainage systems to remove waste products and speed healing; helping reactivate damaged tissues for improved flexibility, strength and performance.
The frequency and amplitude settings on an equine vibration plate can be tailored to specific circumstances. For instance, setting high amplitude helps horses suffering from wounds, laminitis, abscesses or chronic conditions stay fit; low amplitude settings promote isotonic muscle contraction which reduces stiffness as well as warming-up before competitions or recovering from injuries.
Photobiomodulation has gained great traction as an alternative therapy, using light waves to stimulate cell responses in order to alleviate pain and speed healing. Light waves penetrate and stimulate all areas of your body at once allowing it to reduce discomfort while speeding healing time.
However, these treatments remain experimental with limited clinical data available. As the equine sports industry evolves, we should remain on the lookout for therapies that may enhance performance or boost overall health of our athletes.
As competition in the horse industry increases, owners are looking for effective yet safe methods of maintaining their horses’ health and fitness. Owners hope to find effective but safe techniques that enhance performance potential while minimizing injuries or illnesses that require time off competition due to injury or illness. With more alternative therapies emerging every day, we must seek clinical evidence of their effectiveness before adopting them into our sport; while upcoming research on vibration plates could prove particularly promising; in the meantime we use sound management practices and feeding strategies that support healthy horses.