No matter if you’re an average walker or Usain Bolt running the 100 metres, muscles twitch at one cycle per second. Dr Clinton Rubin has discovered that bone cells respond favorably to this low amplitude cyclical load.
Vibration therapy delivers mechanical signals that stimulate bone marrow to create more healthy bone and decrease osteoclast activity, thus serving as an effective non-drug strategy for osteoporosis and osteopenia patients.
What is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones become weaker and break more easily due to losing too much bone or not producing enough new ones. Since bone is living tissue that relies on calcium, exercise, and nutrients to remain strong, its strength must be preserved through these means. Early life saw more bone formed than was broken down until approximately age 25-30 when peak bone mass reached and breakage rates began increasing significantly. Osteoporosis may be caused by various factors including hormone deficiency (particularly estrogen deficiency), low calcium/vitamin D intake; an unhealthy lifestyle; excessive alcohol consumption; disorders or even certain disorders which all contribute towards bone density decrease and lead directly towards osteoporosis.
Osteoporotic fractures often go undetected early on due to no symptoms being felt; thus making detection challenging. A break in the spine, however, could cause back pain or loss of height; such breaks are known as compression fractures and may occur anywhere along the spine including in the neck region causing dowager’s humps if severe enough.
People with a family history of osteoporosis are at increased risk of the condition. Women who have recently gone through menopause also face an increased risk due to rapid drops in estrogen levels after menopause causing rapid bone loss. Other risk factors for developing the condition may include having had a hysterectomy, having small frames, smoking cigarettes or being overweight.
Bone density tests can assist in diagnosing osteoporosis. This painless x-ray exam measures the density of bone tissue on hips, spine or wrists for an accurate picture of osteoporosis.
Treatment for osteoporosis aims to decrease fracture risk and prevent them altogether. Your doctor may prescribe medications which slow bone loss while strengthening existing bone tissue – such as bisphosphonates, alendronate or raloxifene. They may also recommend weight-bearing exercises and a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D; in addition, your physician will urge you to quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption.
Are Vibration Plates Safe for Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis affects millions of people over 50, as its symptoms include weak and fragile bones that break more frequently than usual. While it can affect men and women of all ages, postmenopausal women tend to be most affected due to perimenopause/menopause affecting hormonal levels that regulate bone density in the body. Risk factors for osteoporosis include age, low-intensity vibration, chronic inflammation, specific medical conditions and lack of physical activity – just to name a few!
Vibration plates have long been promoted as an easy and noninvasive way to strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis, but recent clinical trials have produced mixed results. One study concluded that women who utilized a vibrating platform for 20 minutes per day experienced just as much bone loss over a 12-month period as those who didn’t use such platforms at all.
However, these trials present challenges, as many variables could alter the outcomes – including frequency, amplitude, exercise poses and duration of session length – making a definitive assessment of whether vibration therapy works effectively for osteoporosis difficult to achieve. More trials would likely need to be undertaken before we had an accurate representation of its success or otherwise.
However, several peer-reviewed studies demonstrate that lower intensity vibration therapy may help postmenopausal women slow bone loss. One such study concluded that using a vibration plate with frequency 30 Hertz and displacement 0.4 G, which corresponds to approximately 7/10ths of Earth’s gravitational force, significantly increased spine and femoral neck trabecular bone scores significantly.
Another study concluded that using a vibrating platform with 10 Hertz frequency and 0.25 G displacement displacement (approximating body’s natural walking motion) significantly improved trabecular bone score and spinal alignment for women suffering pre-osteoporotic or osteoporotic osteopenia, both simultaneously with improved balance and muscle strength, which in turn can reduce risks of falls or broken bones.
How Does Vibration Therapy Work?
Osteoporosis is a condition in which weakened bones cause fractures that often require surgery or may even alter one’s life, necessitating hormone replacement therapy and regular quality exercise to manage. While hormone therapy and quality exercise may provide some protection, many individuals prefer natural ways to boost bone density such as low intensity vibration therapy, also known as LiV therapy.
Vibration therapy is a type of mechanical stimulation which uses vibrating plates to strengthen muscles and bones without straining the musculoskeletal system. The frequency, amplitude, type of exercises performed on vibration plates will all influence how effectively they stimulate growth in both muscle tissue and bone structures.
On a vibration platform, our bodies experience vibrations of about 0.4 G (just above Earth’s gravitational acceleration). This causes mechanical signals to travel from our bones through muscles and bone cells; as the bone cells sense this stimulation they respond by growing more bone tissue.
Muscle cells regularly twitch at 20 to 50 cycles per second as part of their normal functions, which causes you to shake while walking around or running an Olympic 100 meter sprint. Vibration from platforms serves as an analogue of muscle trembling and causes bone cells to think they need to grow more bone.
Researchers have discovered that bone marrow is sensitive to vibration of platforms and their amplitude, as this induces bone-forming cells into active proliferation.
Another key finding of this research was vibration’s ability to stimulate “quiescent” bone cells – or sleeping bone cells. Quiescent cells reside on the surface of bones and must be activated so as to increase bone formation for overall better skeletal health. If someone experiences bone density loss, activating quiescent cells to become active bone forming cells becomes essential.
Whole body vibration could provide a viable drug-free option for treating and managing osteoporosis. Patients looking for nonpharmaceutical ways to increase bone density have often become disenchanted with prescription medication’s side effects; trying calcium supplements, weight training sessions, eating more leafy green vegetables and cutting down coffee consumption to no avail or even worsening their condition is just not working anymore.
What are the Benefits of Vibration Therapy?
Vibration therapy offers many advantages to people living with osteoporosis. It promotes bone growth and density, increases muscle strength, improves balance and flexibility and decreases pain and discomfort – plus vibration therapy has even been found to prevent falls, which are one of the leading causes of injury for older adults.
Although vibration therapy does not have strong evidence supporting its ability to improve bone mass in people already diagnosed with osteoporosis, many individuals have found it effective at helping maintain current bone density levels while decreasing pain. Furthermore, vibration therapy helps stimulate mesenchymal stem cells which produce new bone and helps promote overall wellness through weight bearing exercise, vitamin D supplementation and a balanced diet – making it an invaluable part of an active and healthy lifestyle that includes weight bearing exercises as well as balanced meals and lifestyle choices.
Vibration therapy offers an alternative to conventional exercises that could put too much strain on joints by providing low intensity levels that are safe for most users. Furthermore, this therapy may make life easier for people suffering from arthritis or chronic conditions like fibromyalgia as it does not involve strenuous movement. Before embarking on vibration therapy sessions it’s wise to consult a healthcare provider first.
Many patients seeking non-pharmaceutical ways to improve their bone health turn to vibration therapy as an attractive non-drug solution. Studies have proven its efficacy at improving muscle strength while reducing delayed-onset muscle soreness after workouts, fibromyalgia symptoms and Parkinson’s symptoms have all seen improvement from vibration therapy treatment.
Astronauts participating in the Russian space program have used it to increase muscle strength while in space and improve bone density. It may work by stimulating mesenchymal stem cells within bones to increase circulation, allowing more nutrients to reach them and stimulating osteoclast differentiation, communication among osteoblasts and suppressing expression of osteoclast-forming RANKL in osteocytes.
There are no known side effects associated with vibration therapy; however, it’s wise to consult a medical provider prior to beginning treatments. People suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes or heart conditions should avoid vibration therapy since it may put too much strain on joints and muscles.
