Information Wellness Blog

An increasing number of people suffer from neuropathy pain caused by damaged nerves. While various treatments have been tried, one that could provide hope is vibration therapy.

Vibration therapy is a noninvasive form of treatment in which feet are placed on a vibrating plate to stimulate nerves (potentially leading to nerve regrowth) and increase blood flow.

Reduces Pain

Intellinetix vibration plates work by disrupting pain signals your brain sends down from your mind, which reduces foot and leg discomfort, making you more active overall and improving your overall health.

Vibration therapy helps increase blood circulation in the feet and legs, alleviating symptoms such as cold feet and legs, numbness, cramps and cold extremities. Vibrations cause blood vessels to dilate allowing more oxygen into these areas of your body which reduce symptoms significantly.

Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of vibration therapy for healing hard-to-heal wounds such as pressure injuries, diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers. One particular case involved vibration therapy being applied on an individual who was experiencing chronic foot ulcer pain as well as difficulty walking; after five treatments their vibration threshold returned to normal and their brief BESTest score went from 10-16!

Another advantage of vibration therapy is that it can reduce neuropathic pain in those suffering from peripheral neuropathies like diabetic or vascular neuropathies. According to one study, patients receiving local vibration on both plantar surfaces of both feet for 10 minutes at 62.5 Hz with an amplitude of 1mm experienced significant reductions in both neuropathy pain as well as increased sensations of touch from local vibration therapy.

Researchers speculated that vibration was responsible for this result by stimulating proprioceptive and neuromuscular functions, activating fast-adapting mechanoreceptors and muscle spindles to produce increased nerve sensitivity. Researchers also observed that Golgi organ afferents were temporarily inhibited during vibration and only partially activated after. At last, researchers discovered that fast-adapting mechanoreceptor afferents that responded to stimulation by the vibrating plate were significantly decreased with longer vibration sessions attributed to gate control theory, explaining why some patients experienced a “tingling” sensation after vibratory therapy sessions – unlike traditional massage, which usually requires going somewhere special for treatments. Instead, vibration therapy can be done at home using simple devices.

Relieves Tension

Vibration therapy is an excellent way to strengthen muscles without straining your joints or back, and improve balance, flexibility, feet temperature regulation and alleviate any associated pain from health conditions and injuries.

Vibration technology can be found both at home devices, wellness centers and spas. You can utilize vibration to engage your whole body or target specific parts – like feet – on vibration plates for targeted benefits. Whole body vibration may help with weight loss, muscle tone development and bone density increases while local vibration may treat neuropathic pain while improving balance, temperature sensation and foot temperature control; additionally it may activate muscle spindles on feet to rehabilitate injuries and ease discomfort.

Increases Circulation

As blood vessels move throughout the cardiovascular system, they provide oxygen and essential nutrients to key organs and tissues while transporting away any waste byproducts that accumulate. Our cardiovascular system plays a crucial role in keeping us energetic and free of fatigue, keeping energy levels constant and helping prevent us from feeling lethargic or tired. Circulatory systems play a pivotal role in providing essential nutrient-rich blood to various areas of the body, where it’s needed for cognitive functions, memory retention, and more. Problems in this system can cause pain, fatigue and decreased energy. Foot vibration therapy has proven itself effective at improving circulation and managing neuropathy pain, relieving pain while increasing blood flow and encouraging relaxation.

Vibration therapy entails placing your feet on a vibrating plate which emits pulsed vibrations at different frequencies and intensities, believed to travel up your feet and legs, targeting damaged nerves. Studies involving peripheral neuropathy patients showed that vibration therapy stimulated their nervous systems (potentially prompting regrowth and increasing blood flow), relieved muscle tension, increased balance and gait as well as interrupted pain signals in their brains.

Vibration therapy comes in two main varieties: whole-body and localized. Whole-body vibration involves standing or resting your feet on a vibration plate while adjusting intensity and frequency according to individual needs; studies on patients suffering from neuropathy have demonstrated both types of vibration therapy can reduce symptoms while simultaneously improving other treatments.

Studies on localized vibration therapy focus primarily on treating neuropathy pain caused by diabetes or other conditions. Studies have demonstrated that this form of vibration therapy can increase blood flow to the feet, leading to relaxation and relieving muscle tension in lower extremities. Furthermore, strengthening of feet and ankles helps provide improved balance and stability – to achieve maximum benefits, sessions of around 10-15 minutes at low intensity should be started initially.

Promotes Relaxation

Vibration therapy helps the body produce endorphins – its own natural “feel-good” chemicals – to relieve anxiety, alleviate depression symptoms, and promote overall mood enhancement. This process has proven very successful at relieving symptoms associated with anxiety disorders as well as improving depression symptoms.

Vibration therapy also stimulates serotonin production, which improves mood and energy levels while simultaneously increasing circulation, leading to more relaxed feelings and helping you feel at ease after a long day or intense workout. Thanks to these effects, vibration therapy makes an excellent way to relax after exertion or fatigue has left its mark on you.

Vibration therapy offers another advantage by relieving pain and alleviating muscle tension. This is particularly effective with foot vibration therapy, which targets muscles of the lower extremities. Vibrations help relax tense muscles to ease stress and tension throughout the body.

Localized vibration therapy can also be an effective means of decreasing inflammation and increasing muscle strength. It can be applied directly to legs, ankles, feet and arms, providing relief from chronic joint pain while decreasing soreness.

Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of vibration therapy in improving balance and flexibility, making it an excellent resource for individuals with balance or mobility issues. Furthermore, vibration therapy may also help prevent and manage Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), which often arises after exercise.

Vibrations on the surface of your feet activate muscle spindles, which communicate to your brain about which muscles are stretching or contracting and send information on muscle movement and coordination as well as potential injuries by informing it of possible issues. This information helps ensure proper muscle function and helps avoid injuries by alerting it of potential issues.

Although research on the long-term benefits of vibration therapy remains limited, evidence suggests it could enhance cognitive function and blood flow to feet. Although preliminary, more research needs to be completed before any conclusions can be drawn from such preliminary studies.

Integrating vibration therapy into a holistic treatment approach is a proven way to boost mental health. Vibration therapy works synergistically with traditional treatments like psychotherapy and medication, helping enhance their effectiveness. While vibration therapy should be safe for most individuals, it’s wise to consult your healthcare provider first when starting a vibration therapy regimen as certain medical conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and deep vein thrombosis as well as pregnancy may make vibration therapy unsafe.

Jean-Martin Charcot was inspired to design a vibrating chair after witnessing patients’ symptoms improve on carriage rides that jostled violently, prompting him to create one himself and help alleviate symptoms.

Stanford Medicine researchers recently developed a vibration glove to reduce Parkinson’s disease (PD) tremors and rigidity, and are in the process of conducting larger clinical trials with it.

Reduces Tremors and Stiffness

Tremors and stiffness are two of the most vexing symptoms associated with Parkinson disease. While medication may help manage them, sometimes their effectiveness may not always work and they may even come with side effects; vibration therapy offers another solution to reduce these symptoms and enhance mobility.

Vibration therapy can be applied at home or in clinical settings by wearing specially designed vibrating gloves that stimulate fingertip receptors of the nervous system and disrupting abnormal synchrony of neurons that lead to Parkinson’s movement problems. According to research, vibrations may help improve mobility and balance while also restoring normal neural activity levels.

Researchers discovered that vibrating gloves featuring specific patterns of stimulation and pauses significantly reduced tremors among their patients. Furthermore, they discovered that pausing between vibration patterns desynchronized the firing of neurons allowing the body to unlearn its abnormal pattern of nerve firing – known as coordinated reset stimulation by scientists.

Researchers conducted an experiment involving eight participants with Parkinson’s disease who wore vibrating gloves for three months. Scientists then assessed their motor function, at-rest electroencephalographs and other forms of brain activity before and after wearing gloves; results included significant improvement in terms of tremors, rigidity and bradykinesia (slow body movement) among those wearing them for this duration; results published in April 2021 issue of Frontiers in Physiology.

The team aims to conduct a larger study with additional control subjects to test how effective this glove is at relieving other symptoms associated with Parkinson’s Disease such as freezing and flexibility. They hope also to find out the optimal frequency and duration for vibration treatment.

Researchers believe that vibration therapy, combined with low-glycemic diet and other physical therapy interventions, could assist with managing Parkinson’s symptoms more effectively. They recommend individuals seeking care consult their healthcare provider first to make sure vibration therapy is suitable. Initially shorter sessions should be tried out and gradually increased over time as your body adapts. For those living with severe or complicated PD who wish to try vibration therapy they should either seek professional advice first before engaging or consult a medical specialist first.

Improves Balance and Mobility

Vibration therapy not only reduces tremors and stiffness, but can also enhance balance and mobility by activating muscles and sensory receptors, similar to exercise. Furthermore, vibration therapy may even help alleviate freezing of gait – an often-occurring issue caused by conflicting signals sent from the brain which makes walking hard to initiate and sustain – by activating muscles and sensory receptors similar to exercise.

Studies on whole-body vibration therapy‘s effect on balance and mobility for Parkinson disease (PD) patients have had mixed results, though most were found to be beneficial. It should be noted, however, that outcomes measures weren’t strictly comparable between studies; only few also included control groups as comparison groups – potentially contributing to results being altered by placebo or nocebo effects.

More recently, researchers have been investigating the effects of localized vibration on balance and mobility for Parkinson’s patients. Researchers used gloves that delivered vibrations directly to fingertips to stimulate movement sensation. Studies published in Frontiers in Physiology concluded that vibration could help reset misfiring neurons in the brain – providing noninvasive relief as opposed to more invasive therapies for PD. These results indicate potential applications of vibration therapy as a noninvasive alternative treatment option for the condition.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that impairs movement and coordination, leading to stiffness, tremors, stiffness and freezing gait. The condition is caused by degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain; symptoms range from mild tremors to severe stiffness that freezes gait; unfortunately there is no known cure; however treatment can help alleviate symptoms and enhance quality of life.

Vibration therapy is an accessible, noninvasive solution that can be implemented at home for improved balance, mobility and tremors while helping prevent falls and injuries. Furthermore, vibration therapy has been shown to decrease pain levels while increasing quality of life among Parkinson’s Disease (PD) patients.

Future trials could make this form of therapy more widely accessible to people living with PD; however, further research needs to be completed in order to assess its efficacy and safety among larger sample sizes, and also to identify which subgroups of PD patients might benefit from its implementation.

Reduces Pain and Injuries

Studies involving those living with Parkinson’s have demonstrated how vibration therapy can alleviate their pain and stiffness, helping them live an active life. Florida State University researchers reported how vibration-based braces and wraps softly massage the body to lessen tremors; and Lebanese International University researchers demonstrated how regular vibration therapy helps with balance.

Tremors and other Parkinson’s symptoms can cause individuals to lose balance, increasing the chances of falls. Vibration therapy can improve balance and help prevent falls by strengthening and coordinating movement of muscles in feet, ankles, knees, hips and core areas – it’s even effective against depression, which often contributes to lack of coordination and balance issues.

Researchers from Stanford University have designed gloves that may reduce tremors and stiffness among Parkinson’s Disease (PD) patients by applying vibration to fingertips and hands. As reported in Frontiers in Physiology, researchers tested these gloves on individuals living with PD for three months utilizing at-rest EEG to track participants’ movements and brain activity before and after glove therapy was implemented. Vibrating gloves significantly improved dynamic and static balance for participants as evidenced by improvements Tinetti scale evaluations with eyes closed T1 and T2.

Researchers believe the vibrating gloves work by altering the synchrony of brain rhythms in Parkinson’s patients. To support their findings, they have initiated a larger clinical trial and are seeking FDA clearance of this treatment option.

Tremors, stiffness and balance issues associated with Parkinson’s Disease can significantly impede one’s quality of life. Luckily, there are treatments available for symptomatic patients such as medications that mimic dopamine; surgery to insert deep brain stimulators; and exercise therapy – although some of these may come with side effects that make treatment unfeasible over an extended period.

Improves Quality of Life

Vibration therapy is part of an array of treatments used to relieve Parkinson’s symptoms. When combined with regular exercise and diet changes, vibration therapy can boost overall health and support weight management while offering relief from pain and tremors. A vibration glove, wrap or mask may provide targeted comfort that enables patients to enjoy their favorite activities more freely.

Individuals suffering from Parkinson’s should strive to find relief from their symptoms, whether through drugs or deep brain stimulation (DBS). While both may provide temporary solutions, they often come at great expense with side effects and become less effective over time. Recently, researchers have discovered a way to harness vibration to treat this condition more effectively.

Multiple clinical trials have been conducted to examine whether vibration can help alleviate Parkinson’s symptoms. One, featured on TODAY show, used vibration-emitting gloves that provided vibration therapy directly onto their fingertips – helping tremors, stiffness and slow walking among PD patients to ease. While researchers didn’t set out to specifically study other symptoms as part of this trial, many users reported feeling better as well as relief for depression as well as loss of smell or taste, both common features of Parkinson’s.

Another study focused on using a device known as PDVibe2TM that vibrated participants’ feet. This device vibrates distal lower extremities to treat Parkinson-related gait disturbances such as freezing of gait (FoG). Researchers discovered that using this device significantly improved metrics related to FoG and was well tolerated by participants.

Studies were carried out with a small group of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) patients. Each wore the PDVibe2TM for eight treatment sessions over one week while continuing their medications and having DBS activated, as necessary. The research team observed that vibration significantly enhanced PD-related gait metrics – with effects lasting several weeks after taking away from device use.

Scientists behind the study believe that its effect arises due to vibration disrupting normal neural connectivity patterns, and hope to conduct further testing on their device to see what types of Parkinson’s patients might benefit most from it.