Vibration therapy works by stimulating muscle spindles, sensory nerve-like receptors on muscle fibers that transmit information to your brain about whether a muscle has stretched or contracted.
Studies indicate that vibration therapy triggers anabolic responses in muscles and bones, improving tendon morphological, mechanical, and material properties. In a waitlist-controlled equivalence trial comparing whole body vibration training against eccentric training or no treatment, whole body vibration training produced significantly better pain outcomes compared to eccentric training or no treatment.
What is tendonitis?
Tendons, thick fibrous cords connecting muscle to bone, can become inflamed or irritated and begin to hurt when this happens, often being tender to touch and showing swelling and/or redness near their affected area. Tendonitis affects all parts of the body where tendon connects with bones – typically shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees and heels are most prone. Pain ranges from mild to severe depending on whether the cause lies with exercise or an injury so be sure to notify your healthcare provider if discomfort persists beyond workout time!
Left untreated, inflammation may result in a complete tear of a tendon and cause pain or weakness in the area affected. For the best treatment for tendinitis, resting the affected area with regular ice applications as well as taking anti-inflammatory medication are all highly recommended.
Your healthcare provider can give instructions for adapting workouts that reduce stress on affected areas, and offer advice on how to modify workouts to minimize inflammation flare-up.
If your tendonitis is the result of an injury, your doctor will order X-rays or an MRI to rule out other issues. If it’s due to overuse or improper stretching before physical activities, however, they can teach you how to change your habits while prescribing medication to reduce inflammation.
Human bodies consist of approximately 4,000 tendons that help move and support our weight. Unfortunately, overexertion or overtraining can lead to tendinitis in any one or more tendons throughout the body, with overuse leading to tendonitis in any. Tendinitis can be avoided by warming up properly before workouts; decreasing intensity/duration of high impact sports or soft surface exercise; taking breaks between repetitive manual tasks; taking care while performing manual tasks that cause repetitive stress injuries; as well as consulting your podiatrist who may create custom shoe inserts/stretches to increase tendon elasticity.
How does vibration therapy work?
Tendons are thick fibrous cords that connect muscle to bone. Overuse, inflammation and injury can weaken this connection, so vibration therapy may provide an effective non-invasive solution that stimulates tendon healing by stimulating it and encouraging new living tendon cells to replace damaged ones, returning normal function while relieving any associated discomfort.
Vibration therapy comes in two varieties – whole body vibration (WBV) and low intensity vibration (LIV). WBV involves either standing or sitting on a vibrating platform that sends vertical vibrations through your body; it is more frequently found at gyms and physiotherapy services.
Vibration therapy stimulates muscle activity, helping improve posture, increase range of motion and decrease pain levels. Furthermore, vibration therapy strengthens both muscles and bones for reduced risk of further injury. Vibration therapy was first practiced by ancient Greeks over millennia ago; its revival in America came thanks to Gustav Zander who created an apparatus using weights to generate vibrations for vibratory therapy sessions.
Vibration therapy has been found to effectively combat delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Furthermore, vibration has also been proven to increase strength and flexibility as well as reduce pain and stiffness while attenuating tendon inflammation.
Vibration has been suggested as an effective means of lowering the risk of chronic tendonitis by improving circulation, increasing living tendon cells and decreasing scar tissue formation. Furthermore, vibration may hasten healing from injury more quickly.
Studies conducted on patients suffering from chronic Achilles tendinopathy showed that adding vibration training to an eccentric load program was as successful in relieving their pain as using eccentric loads alone or waiting-and-see. Researchers also discovered that both WBV and HSR significantly improved tendon tension tensile force and stress variables over time, and that these changes were long lasting.
Research into vibration therapy remains limited, making it unclear whether it can increase bone density or help prevent osteoporosis. For optimal bone health, regular exercise and healthy nutrition remain the best ways to build and protect them.
What are the benefits of vibration therapy?
Research evidence supports vibration therapy‘s many health advantages, from pain relief and muscle strength enhancement, to increasing blood flow to your muscles and thus decreasing stiffness and improving flexibility – all essential elements of living an injury-free lifestyle.
A 2019 controlled trial on whole-body vibration (WBV) found it was highly effective at relieving pain associated with osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and chronic low back pain conditions like osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia. Furthermore, when coupled with an accompanying training program it can even improve muscle strength!
Localized vibration therapy entails placing a handheld vibrating device directly on your target muscle or joint, with frequency and intensity depending on device used – typically vertical displacement movements are used.
Vibration therapy can help increase muscle strength through neuromuscular activation, which causes your muscles to contract more efficiently. Furthermore, vibration therapy may enhance flexibility as an addition to traditional stretching routines.
Vibration therapy also has other advantages that include alleviating back pain and improving balance and posture. Vibration activates proprioceptors – neurons within muscles and tendons which work to align your body – helping relieve lower back and neck pain as well as decreasing inflammation, speeding recovery from injuries faster.
Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of vibration therapy as an alternative treatment option for various injuries and conditions, such as knee pain, rotator cuff tears and shoulder dislocations. However, more high quality research must be completed to confirm its efficacy as a solution.
Though vibration therapy is generally considered safe, it’s wise to consult your physiotherapist prior to beginning this treatment. They can assess your individual risk and recommend the most beneficial course of action for you. In general, vibration therapy should not be performed if you have bone fractures, osteoporosis or skin rashes/open wounds; high blood pressure; are at risk of blood clots; have pacemakers; have had recent surgery/joint replacement; are pregnant; have high blood pressure or are at high risk; have high blood pressure or are at risk; and/ or have recently undergone recent surgeries/joint replacement surgeries/joint replacement surgeries/joint replacement surgeries/joint replacement surgeries/joint replacement surgeries/joint replacement surgeries/joint replacement surgeries/joint replacement surgeries/joint replacement surgeries/joint replacement surgeries/joint replacement surgeries/joint replacement surgeries/joint replacement surgeries/joint replacement surgeries/joint replacement surgeries/joint replacement surgeries/joint replacement/bone fracture or osteoporosis; bone fracture or osteoporosisis present or have high blood pressure/ blood clot risk when blood clot risk. Typically avoided doing vibration therapy if having recently underwent surgery or joint replacement surgeries/joint replacement surgeries where blood clot risk; pacemakers or have had recent surgery/joint replacement surgeries etc.
What are the risks of vibration therapy?
Vibration therapy has become an increasingly popular treatment method for tendonitis in physiotherapy. The technique involves standing, sitting or lying down on a vibrating platform where frequency, direction and intensity of vibrations may change to produce either positive or negative responses within your body.
Vibration therapy has long been used as an effective solution to treat numerous health conditions and injuries, including stroke. Research has demonstrated its benefits by improving balance, coordination and posture; relieving pain; increasing muscle strength and flexibility; speeding recovery times after injury; improving bone density; decreasing the risk of osteoarthritis; improving gait and balance in stroke victims – among others.
However, the results of these studies can vary widely and it’s hard to assess their true effect on health and wellbeing due to limited durations, small sample sizes and brief follow-up periods in these studies.
Whole-body vibration therapy (WBV) is one of the best-known and researched types of vibration therapy, whereby you stand, sit or lie on a vibrating platform while performing exercises. You can position this platform however you like based on frequency, direction and intensity of vibrations which will all influence how it responds with you and influence responses accordingly. Localized vibrating therapy devices may also be placed directly onto muscles or joints targeted for treatment by therapists for direct treatment.
Studies suggest that vibration therapy may stimulate afferent nerve endings in muscles to increase signals being sent back to your brain and alter how often and for how long your muscles stretch and contract. Furthermore, research indicates it could potentially stimulate osteoblast production which are cells responsible for creating new bone tissue.
Vibration therapy may also help improve blood circulation. Vibrations cause muscles to contract and move, increasing the flow of blood to an area, which in turn relieves pain, reduces swelling/inflammation and speeds healing after injury.
Research suggests that whole body vibration therapy may accelerate and facilitate healing and recovery from Achilles tendinopathy. A study conducted by Horstman, Jud, Frohlich & Mundermann in 2013 on patients suffering from Achilles tendinopathy was split randomly into either 12 week whole-body vibration programs or eccentric training programs; both led to marked improvements in pain.
