Studies suggest vibration therapy may assist people living with neuropathy to enhance balance, reduce pain, and increase mobility. Vibration therapy may be used on either the whole-body or targeted parts of their bodies for effective results.
A 2019 controlled trial demonstrated the efficacy of whole-body vibration in relieving musculoskeletal pain when added as part of a regular treatment plan. Local vibration therapy involves placing a vibrating device directly on your body.
Stimulates Nerve Cells
Peripheral neuropathy is a debilitating condition caused by damage to peripheral nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord (peripheral nerves). Symptoms can range from pain, tingling, and other unpleasant sensations in hands, feet, and other extremities to worsened symptoms when affected by conditions like diabetes, chemotherapy treatments, infections, vitamin deficiencies or injuries.
Studies demonstrate how vibration therapy can stimulate nerves to heal faster, increase balance and strength, as well as promote increased blood flow to muscles and bones, providing nourishment that speeds cellular repair at a cellular level. Vibration also triggers stem cells within bone marrow to become osteoblasts (bone-building cells).
Vibration has been proven to increase natural production of growth hormones that support healthy muscle and bone density, something essential for managing neuropathies symptoms such as bone mass loss or weak muscles. Furthermore, vibration may help boost an individual’s immune system which further alleviates neuropathy symptoms.
Recent research demonstrated how whole-body vibration therapy can significantly decrease neuropathic pain levels while improving other measures of nerve health, such as nerve conduction velocity. Participants who received vibration for less than 15 minutes twice or three times weekly experienced improvements both on the neuropathic pain scale as well as gait and balance measurements compared with controls.
Vibration therapy has also been proven to alleviate diabetic neuropathy patients’ neuropathic pain. A clinical trial saw one such patient treated with five 10-minute sessions per day on her plantar side feet for four weeks – her neuropathic pain score dropped 50% while other indicators such as NCV improved, too. Furthermore, balance improved considerably due to an increase in somatosensory function after vibration treatment.
Boosts Circulation
Vibration therapy not only stimulates nerves but also promotes blood circulation. This allows oxygen and nutrients to reach damaged nerves more effectively and may help repair them while simultaneously decreasing pain signals in affected areas. Studies indicate both whole body vibration therapy and localized vibration can stimulate circulation for optimal function and activating natural healing processes within our bodies.
Whole-body vibration therapy utilizes a vibrating platform (often known as a “shaker”) that transmits gentle waves of energy throughout your body. You stand or lie on this platform while it gently vibrates to activate muscles and nerves. Studies indicate this may boost activity of Adenosine Triphosphate, an essential molecule for providing oxygen and nutrients to nerve cells.
Vibration therapy has also been shown to effectively increase skin blood flow (SBF) and increase levels of nitric oxide (NO) in areas commonly affected by diabetic peripheral neuropathy, including feet. According to studies, vibration therapy helps increase skin blood flow (SBF) while increasing NO levels and can even help decrease pain while simultaneously improving balance, gait, and lower limb function, all areas affected by DPN.
Nitric oxide production increases when we’re under stress, so increasing NO production can offer an effective, non-pharmaceutical alternative to medications with side effects like weight gain or balance disturbance. Whole body vibration provides an easier way of increasing NO and SBF in feet than other forms of exercise.
Localized vibration can provide additional support to those living with neuropathy. A small device that delivers vibrations directly to the feet can stimulate nerve pathways, improve balance and ease painful symptoms without exerting undue strain on joints or muscles. Sonix(r) Sonic Wave Generator creates low intensity vibrations ideal for improving nerve function and alleviating symptoms associated with neuropathy.
Before beginning vibration therapy, it’s advisable to consult a healthcare practitioner. A qualified practitioner can advise you on how often and for how long vibration therapy should be utilized for maximum results, and create a holistic plan which may include other strategies like exercise, nutrition-rich foods and complementary therapies such as massage or red light therapy.
Relieves Pain
Vibration therapy stimulates nerves and increases circulation, helping reduce neuropathic pain while correcting balance and gait issues caused by nerve damage. Furthermore, this non-invasive solution does not rely on drugs, helping you avoid side effects like weight gain, balance disruption or depression that might otherwise come with taking medications.
Local vibration therapy entails having a therapist use a hand-held vibrating device on specific parts of your body – for instance feet, calves and thighs – which produces different vibration patterns such as up and down, front to back and sideways movement. Furthermore, different frequencies affect results.
Vibrations stimulate key sensory and motor receptors such as Pacinian corpuscles. Furthermore, they increase spinal cord reflex regulation and muscle activation. Though its exact mechanism remains unknown, vibration may help reduce pain by blocking nerve signals that signal your body is experiencing discomfort. Vibration also raises heart rate variability (HRV), an indicator of vagal tone which calms nervous systems.
Whole-body vibration therapy was demonstrated to significantly improve gait and strength for cancer survivors suffering from chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, while also decreasing pain symptoms in their feet.
Peripheral Neuropathy occurs when nerves outside your brain and spine become damaged, which could be the result of diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, infections, injuries, drug use or genetic conditions. Symptoms may include pain, tingling and an uncomfortable “pins-and-needles” feeling in hands and feet; sometimes loss of sensation in feet occurs making walking more difficult or leading to increased falls. Vibration therapy may help alleviate symptoms associated with diabetic neuropathy and boost confidence when moving around more freely.
Improves Balance
Numerous studies demonstrate how vibration therapy can effectively increase balance and proprioception for people living with neuropathy, even helping reduce symptoms associated with diabetes and its complications. Diabetes can damage nerves that play a crucial role in maintaining good balance, including sensation. Diabetic neuropathy also alters pressure distribution on your feet, impacting gait patterns and raising risk for diabetic foot ulcers. Vibration therapy‘s vibrations stimulate muscle spindles, tiny sensor-like receptors in your muscles that send signals to your brain about how much your muscles have been stretched or contracted, thus providing feedback about stabilization and adapting to changing conditions that make standing up and moving around easier for you.
Vibration therapy works to increase circulation to help nourish nerves and muscles with blood. Vibrations may also help you relax more, alleviating nerve pain signals so you’re less likely to experience discomfort. When combined with other therapies like gentle exercise, eating healthy diet, managing blood sugar and managing the effects of neuropathy more easily, vibration therapy makes managing its effects simpler.
Whole-body vibration therapy entails standing or lying on a vibrating platform that delivers vibrations to all parts of your body, such as feet. Localized vibrations may be delivered using smaller devices that deliver them directly. Both forms of vibration therapy can enhance strength, flexibility and balance as well as proprioception in patients.
One study demonstrated how whole-body vibration could effectively decrease neuropathic pain for those suffering from diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Researchers speculated that vibration improved circulation, increased production of nitric oxide production and stimulated nerve cells. Another investigation demonstrated how vibration reduced chemotherapy-induced neuropathy pain intensity while simultaneously decreasing levels of depression anxiety and fatigue in participants.
Another study examined whole-body vibration therapy against standard treatments for neuropathy. Researchers determined that vibration therapy was more effective than antidepressants but no more so than an active control group; now, researchers are investigating if vibration therapy can enhance quality of life and pain as measured by Brief BESTest, an online survey designed to measure postural balance capabilities and sensory orientation.
