Vibration machines are popular among gyms and physiotherapy clinics, as well as being available for home use. These mechanical vibrations cause muscles to contract and relax repeatedly throughout each second.
Vibration therapy may stimulate muscle growth, burn calories and strengthen bones – however more research must be conducted to see how it compares with traditional exercise methods.
Stimulates Muscle Contractions
Muscle vibration therapy is an exercise method which uses mechanical oscillations to contract and relax your muscles, stimulating them into contracting or relaxing in response to sitting on a vibration machine. You can customize the speed and amplitude of vibration according to your individual needs; for instance, faster speeds/amplitudes offer more vigorous vibrations while lower ones produce gentler effects.
Vibration signals are transmitted directly into your body tissues, tendons and muscles through vibration stimulation, increasing muscle contractions while simultaneously improving balance, coordination and strength – providing protection from injury in sports activities, while possibly helping reverse some effects of aging on bones and muscles.
Vibration therapy may also improve blood circulation and accelerate recovery after exercise or strenuous physical activity, by speeding the movement of metabolic waste products out of muscles to help relieve soreness and aches. Furthermore, increased blood flow provides more oxygen and nutrients to tissues for repair and healing purposes.
Studies conducted using a vibration machine revealed that its mechanical oscillations increased the rate at which your muscles contract and relax. This happened because muscle spindles, sensory receptors within muscle tissue, detected vibrations; as a result, muscles quickly contracting before relaxing again to simulate physical exertion. Furthermore, vibrations enhanced your proprioception–your body’s ability to sense motion and position–thereby making you more aware of movement within yourself and surroundings.
Some studies indicate that vibration therapy machines may also stimulate bone cell regeneration and result in improved bone density, making this form of therapy especially helpful for individuals suffering from osteoporosis or those who cannot participate in traditional weight-bearing exercises.
Researchers used a mechanical vibration device to observe its effect on resting MG and SOL SWS levels during longitudinal projection. Vibrations increased both measurements, yet only caused changes to occur in longitudinal projection. This may be a result of different cell responses depending on frequency, application protocol or anatomical location of physiological sensors.
Enhances Blood Circulation
As soon as you step onto a vibration machine, mechanical impulses send vibrations through your entire body, prompting an automatic reflex response in your muscles. These muscle contractions activate more muscle fibers than voluntary exercise can do, increase flexibility and balance while stimulating physiological responses that promote overall wellness. Furthermore, improved blood circulation increases oxygen and nutrients to your entire body for improved athletic performance and faster recovery time post exercise.
Poor circulation is one of the most prevalent health conditions, resulting in cold hands and feet, numbness or tingling in extremities, slow healing wounds and slow-healing wounds. Regular cardio exercise is ideal for improving circulation; however it can be challenging for individuals due to injury or mobility restrictions to exercise regularly. Vibration therapy for circulation may provide an alternative solution; vibrating vibrations stimulate muscles, activate hard-to-reach muscle groups and encourage blood flow throughout your body’s extremities.
Vibration plates when used correctly can simulate the effects of exercise by inducing a contract-relax muscle reaction that mirrors exercise, increasing both muscle mass and strength while stimulating metabolic changes within muscles. Vibrations also cause our bodies to produce nitric oxide which opens blood vessels for increased blood flow.
Vibrations not only enhance muscular development and increase bone density, but they can also significantly lower pain levels in joints and back areas due to an increase in blood flow to areas in the brain responsible for sending pain signals – this process also improves cognitive function by sharpening thinking skills and sharpening thinking processes.
Vibration therapy can assist in weight loss by stimulating metabolism and suppressing appetite. Furthermore, vibrations help strengthen core and abdominal muscle groups which helps individuals feel full more quickly while preventing overeating.
Vibration therapy machines have long been used by fitness enthusiasts; however, more recently they’ve also become an invaluable part of rehabilitation facilities and physiotherapy practices. Used by those suffering chronic health conditions or injuries to strengthen musculoskeletal systems, increase mobility, improve balance and alleviate pain, vibration machines are now used by the general population as well. If you are interested in trying one out for yourself it would be wise to consult your physician first to see if one may be beneficial to you.
Promotes Bone Growth
Mechanical stress created by vibration therapy improves bone’s capacity for cellular remodeling, leading to increased bone mineral density (BMD). Vibration therapy also promotes muscle training and the endocrine system’s functioning; specifically growth hormone production increases as part of whole-body vibration therapy treatment.
Vibration activates proprioceptive sensory systems in the musculotendinous system, stimulating alpha-motoneurons and activating previously inactive muscles [28]. Furthermore, vibration modifies gap junctional communication between osteocytes and other cells to amplify release of osteoblast-promoting substances such as collagen and calcitonin as well as production of more glucocorticoids by osteoblasts that prevent excessive bone resorption (osteoclastogenesis) while simultaneously stimulating formation of new bone tissue [29].
Studies demonstrate the beneficial effects of vibration therapy to be more profound for appendicular skeletons (such as hips and knees ) than for axial ones (like the lumbar spine ). This could be explained by how vibration stimulation allows inactive muscle groups – due to age-related mobility restrictions – to contract through vibratory stimulation.
Animal studies have demonstrated that responses to vibration can differ among mouse strains and genetic factors. For instance, C57BL/6J mice were sensitive to anabolic low-magnitude low-frequency (LMLF) vibration treatment and displayed improved cortical thickness and BMD compared to BALB/cByJ mice which did not respond.
Vibration has also been shown to enhance the anabolic effects of dynamic exercise. A study that randomly assigned elderly women either vibration therapy combined with squat training or control groups saw significantly greater changes in lumbar spine dual-energy X-ray absorptimetry scan measures than with either group (P = 0.14 for 11-weeks of Squats per Week for 11 Weeks and 1.06 respectively).
Vibration has also been proven to reduce bone resorption and normalize vasculature altered by cancer metastases in murine models, though its exact mechanism of action remains unknown. Although not fully understood, vibration appears to maximize these outcomes with certain frequencies being ideal; specifically increasing Irisin while decreasing Myostatin which are both muscle cytokines known to influence bone remodeling processes – suggesting vibration may be used therapeutically against osteoporosis.
Reduces Pain
Vibration therapy not only enhances muscle strength and blood flow, fostering bone growth and providing pain relief. By stimulating muscles to contract and relax quickly similar to physical exertion, vibration therapy also relieves discomfort. Mechanical vibrations expose bones to safe mechanical stress which help create new osteoblasts which result in greater density for better bone formation.
Vibration therapy also induces the release of endorphins, natural painkillers. Studies have demonstrated this benefit for people suffering from low back pain; studies show a decrease in intensity when regularly using vibration machines for treatments. For fibromyalgia patients specifically, results have even been more striking: A study published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice demonstrated how vibration therapy significantly alleviated pain and fatigue associated with their condition.
Whole body vibration therapy entails performing exercises on a large platform that emits steady vibrations at various speeds, typically found in gyms or physiotherapy clinics but also many homes. You may come across such machines at gyms or physiotherapy clinics – or they could even be in your living room! These vibratory machines may either oscillate side-to-side (pivotal vibrating machine), linear (vibrating up-and-down vibration machine), pivotal oscillating (oscillating side-to-side), pivotal (oscillating side-to-side), pivotal (vibrating side-to-side), pivotal (pivoting side to side), pivotal oscillating (vibrating side-to-side), linear (vibrating up and down). Amplitude range from 1mm-15mm while frequencies range from 5-50Hz.
Vibrations stimulate multiple muscle groups at once, helping to enhance lymphatic circulation. Furthermore, its teeter-totter motion may relieve back pain by stimulating nerves to send more soothing signals back to the brain.
However, studies have revealed that using a vibration machine may not benefit those at risk for lymphedema or lipedema, conditions where fluid builds up in the legs and arms leading to painful swelling and disfigurement. Vibrations could increase tension in arteries and veins which could contribute to more fluid accumulation in either leg.
No evidence supports vibration plates as a treatment option for these conditions, nor would we advise using one if you have a spinal fracture or condition that requires medical intervention, such as herniated discs.
