Whole Body Vibration (WBV) interventions use mechanical oscillations to stimulate stretch reflexes in your tendons and skeletal muscles, and have proven successful at alleviating pain while leading to lasting functional improvements. This has proven incredibly useful.
Vibration therapy has rapidly gained in popularity as an at-home way of providing many of the same positive health benefits to bones, muscles and tendons that foam rolling does. Vibration therapy provides an easy alternative for improving mobility that may help alleviate pain associated with stiff joints or soreness that comes from movement — perfect as an adjunct therapy!
Improves Circulation
Vibration therapy enhances circulation by activating the body’s natural healing processes. Applying vibration to muscles, tendons, ligaments, or bones of the body will stimulate microcirculation which brings more oxygen and nutrients directly to affected areas – helping alleviate tendonitis pain while speeding recovery time. Blood flow also speeds up this recovery process further by stimulating cell processes within them which then helps speed up recovery time.
One study examined the effects of mechanical vibration on Achilles tendon microcirculation among healthy participants without symptoms. Researchers observed that vibration applied over either calf muscle or Achilles tendon caused an increase in both thyroxine hemoglobin (THb) and oxygen saturation values (StO2) of both the musculotendinous junction and paratenon; however, application over medial gastrocnemius muscle did not elicit an elevation in these variables.
The authors of the study concluded that vibration therapy was likely responsible, since it is a passive rather than active modality of exercise. They suggest future studies examine different physical agents, intensity levels and locations of vibration on tendon microcirculation.
Another clinical trial utilized a randomized controlled design to investigate the impact of vibration therapy on chronic patellar tendinopathy. Thirty-nine participants were randomly assigned either three months of WBV or HSR training or wait-and-see treatment, and pre and post intervention testing included pain assessments, functional limitations assessments, ultrasound measurements of knee extension strength as well as tendon morphological and mechanical properties testing.
Results from this study indicated that WBV and eccentric-training both resulted in improved VAS scores and functional limitations compared to wait-and-see control group. Furthermore, vibration and HSR training led to reduced palpation pain at the musculotendinous junction of patellar tendon as well as increased knee extension strength when compared with wait-and-see control group.
At each session, a handheld device is placed over the area being treated and vibrations are transmitted to their bodies through shockwaves produced by this handheld device. Vibrations may travel up and down, front to back or any combination thereof and reach affected areas – adjusting intensity according to individual needs without discomfort being felt from these gentle vibrations.
Breaks Down Scar Tissue
As soon as a muscle or tendon is damaged due to injury, surgery, skin wounds or other trauma, its natural response is to initiate an inflammatory process and create scar tissue from collagen cells clumping together and forming scarring. Unfortunately, scar tissue differs significantly from normal connective tissue in composition; adhesions form within it which restrict movement, increasing pain levels while simultaneously decreasing performance levels resulting in greater stiffness, pain and reduced performance levels compared with more robust connective tissues; vibration therapy can break down scar tissue while simultaneously eliminating adhesions by breaking down scar tissue adhesions in affected muscles or tendon injuries and breaking down adhesions to remove adhesions and scars formation and remove adhesions and create reduction in adhesions by breaking down this scar tissue adhesion formation by breaking down and dissolving its adhesions; providing pain relief by breaking down adhesions caused by adhesions between connective tissues causing increased pain, stiffness and reduced performance; vibration therapy can break down this scar tissue and remove adhesions as it forms and remove any adhesions and adhesions formation caused by adhesion formation which results in adhesion formation thus creating adhesions between muscle-tendons leading to pain, stiffness. Vibration therapy breaks down its composition while simultaneously eliminating adhesion formation.
Vibration frequency and amplitude used during treatment can encourage cellular remodeling processes that break down scar tissue, release adhesions, increase blood flow to the area and stimulate new living tendon cells to form back into place – leading to improved muscle function and performance and eliminating injections or medications altogether.
Vibration therapy may also help desensitize nerves in an affected area and alleviate any associated pain and discomfort, making vibration therapy an invaluable aid for patients suffering from pinched or irritated nerves, such as those experiencing numbness, tingling or sharp shooting pain that often accompanies conditions such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Neuromas (pinched nerves), Tendonitis or other musculoskeletal disorders.
Sports massage utilizes various techniques to break down scar tissue and adhesions, including friction, acupressure and trigger point therapy. These methods increase tissue temperature while breaking down/realigning collagen fibres that make up scar tissue – thus restoring movement while relieving stiffness/pain and stress.
Furthermore, vibration G-force can produce dynamic mechanical stimulation that effectively signals growth hormone production and stem cell differentiation for faster healing of injured tissue. When combined with a rehabilitation program tailored specifically for tendon injuries sustained from overuse or repetitive injuries, sports therapy professionals are best qualified to assess and recommend an individualized rehabilitation program designed to get patients back doing what they enjoy.
Promotes Cellular Process
Vibration therapy may accelerate tendon repair processes. It does so by improving circulation and oxygenation of muscles, providing extra nutrients and cells directly to damaged areas more rapidly – speeding up healing times significantly as damaged tissues receive essential building blocks faster.
Vibration therapy can also aid in reducing scar tissue adhesion and breaking down existing tissue to allow new tendon cells to take root and form instead, thus helping avoid scarring from chronic tendonitis conditions such as tendonitis.
Recent research showed that adding mechanical vibration to an exercise program significantly aided pain and functional recovery among those suffering from chronic patellar tendinopathy. It appears this may be because vibration stimulates both proprioceptive systems as well as non-voluntary muscular contraction by way of TVR (Tonic Vibration Reflex). TVR stimulation occurs through excitation of Ia afferent signals from neuromuscular spindles, thus activating muscles non-voluntary.
Research showed that vibration stimulated Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) production by increasing blood flow to muscles. This occurred due to greater energy demand being placed on them from vibration, forcing muscles to work harder to produce more ATP than ever. Furthermore, vibration stimulated protein synthesis due to this rise in production.
As part of tendon healing research, mechanical vibration has shown to accelerate cellular repair processes in tendons and other tissues. A clinical trial that utilized both WBV and HSR training revealed both therapies reduced maximum pain levels while increasing function among chronic patellar tendinopathy patients. Furthermore, mechanical stimulation promoted increased gene expression of collagen 1 alpha, interleukin 6, cyclooxygenase 2, and bone morphogenetic protein 12 which all play crucial roles in healing tendon tissues.
Increases Bone Density
As we age, bones become less dense and weaker, leading to decreased strength in both skeletal muscles and muscle dysfunction. Vibration training has been proven effective at stimulating both bone and muscle tissue to enhance both these aspects, including local dynamic loading of the musculotendinous junction and tendon in particular.
Vibration therapy devices produce vibrations that penetrate your entire body, causing muscles to contract and relax simultaneously – known as shock wave effect – making vibration therapy particularly useful in treating conditions like Achilles tendonitis.
Studies have shown that when applied locally, vibration therapy causes your body to produce more osteoblasts – cells which produce bone. Osteoblasts can be found both within bones and tendons of ankle and foot tendons; therefore vibration therapy helps strengthen both as well as decrease inflammation within joint.
Studies have also demonstrated that vibration can help increase the thickness of tendons and ligaments in an area being treated, due to shockwave vibrations stimulating your body into producing more collagen and elastin within joints – these proteins give tendons flexibility and elasticity – so increased thickness helps both reduce pain and accelerate healing.
Studies show that whole-body vibration therapy can restore muscle strength and increase bone density by retraining the brain to enable proper posture and biomechanics to take place.
Enhance muscle balance and coordination to allow joints to function more optimally and help prevent injury quicker after workouts. Doing this can help your workout sessions run more smoothly as well as speed your return into the gym faster after an injury has been sustained.
Physiologically, vibration’s effects stem from its direct mechanical signal that is delivered directly to cells such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), osteoblasts, osteocytes and myocytes. Furthermore, vibration increases expression of genes involved in anabolic pathways while simultaneously suppressing fat development in MSCs. Furthermore, vibration also enhances osteogenic differentiation, enhances gap junction communication networks and lowers levels of the catabolic receptor RANKL which rises with disuse.
