Whole-body vibration therapy may come as a surprise to some; yet fitness enthusiasts and those suffering from muscular skeletal discomfort have discovered its many health advantages.
Vibration causes mechanical impulses to travel to muscle spindle endings and trigger reflexes which improve strength, balance, coordination and overall wellness. Vibration may also trigger hormonal and metabolic reactions which enhance overall wellness.
Benefits
Vibration therapy is a noninvasive and mechanical way to stimulate your entire musculoskeletal system. By standing, sitting or lying down on a vibration machine, your muscles and bones experience controlled mechanical oscillations at higher rates than during traditional exercise, contracting and relaxing more frequently than normal to activate deep muscle fibers, improve blood flow and trigger powerful physiological responses as well as increase flexibility and range of motion.
Vibration therapy can also improve balance and strength, reduce pain from chronic conditions such as lipedema or lymphedema, accelerate recovery after injuries and enhance rehabilitation following surgeries. Board-certified endocrinologist Karen Herbst told Consumer Reports (CR) that whole-body vibration plates help people manage these chronic issues by stimulating lymphatic flow while building muscles to move the fluid through tissues more efficiently.
Vibration plates expose your bones to safe mechanical stress that encourages osteoblasts, the cells responsible for bone growth and regeneration, to stimulate their activity and thus strengthen them and make them less likely to break. This process may help people with osteoporosis gain strength in their bones without increasing their chances of fracture.
Dependent upon the frequency and amplitude of vibrations, you can target specific muscles, joints and bones in different parts of your body. Some machines emit vertical vibrations that mimic gravity’s natural pull – these machines are commonly used in strength training and rehabilitation settings; others offer seesaw or triplanar movements to test balance and coordination.
Studies suggest that vibration therapy could help people with mild dementia or Alzheimer’s improve cognitive function, although all studies conducted so far only last 12 weeks and it remains uncertain whether their effects are long-lasting.
Keep in mind that vibration therapy requires balance and stability, so anyone at risk of falling should avoid using one – this could include older adults, those with poor balance and posture, those suffering severe osteoporosis or other joint issues, pregnant women and others at high risk of falling. Seeking professional advice prior to beginning using vibration machines will ensure safe and effective usage by understanding how to adjust frequency, amplitude and session length to suit your health needs.
Safety
Whole-body vibration therapy can be an incredibly safe and beneficial therapeutic exercise when performed correctly. Its success relies on several factors including frequency, amplitude and session duration; vibration plate machines emit mechanical vibrations which trigger various physiological responses including muscle and bone contractions, increased flexibility, enhanced balance performance, decreased pain in chronic conditions as well as weight loss.
Recent research indicates that whole-body vibration therapy improves physical performance among older adults, augmenting strength training benefits and even providing comparable health benefits to regular exercise programs. While this research only involved a small sample, its results demonstrate how whole-body vibration therapy may be an invaluable part of leading a healthier lifestyle.
Vibration plates have quickly become popular fitness and rehabilitation clinic tools, from fitness enthusiasts to patients suffering from conditions like lipedema and lymphedema. But anyone wishing to use vibration therapy at home must first understand its science as well as the safe methods for using one.
When purchasing a vibration plate, it is best to choose one with adjustable frequency and amplitude settings so as to prevent unwanted side effects such as headaches or dizziness. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes which don’t limit range of motion; when starting out it may be beneficial to start with shorter sessions and gradually build them up over time.
When performing vibration exercises, it’s essential to keep your back straight while keeping knees and hips slightly bent; otherwise, excessive jarring forces on joints could lead to injuries. Furthermore, maintaining a crouched position on a vibration plate will prevent skidding movements that cause impacts; should excessive head vibration occur it may be wiser to take a break from using this device.
Exercises
If you suffer from lymphedema or chronic swelling, vibration therapy can be an invaluable addition to your self-care regimen. Vibrations stimulate muscle movement and create pumping action which moves fluid from between cells into lymph vessels; small pressure changes also result from vibration therapy which could potentially help move stuck lymph fluid through channels more easily; quick muscle contractions mimick how your lymphatic system normally moves fluid through channels.
Home Vibration Plate Exercise to enhance lymphatic drainage are numerous. One is the Plank exercise; simply position yourself with forearms on a vibration plate with shoulders aligned over elbows and hips down before holding for a set amount of time. Another exercise option is Step-up which requires facing towards vibration plate while pushing through heel plantar flexion to raise legs off platform (plantar flexion). Once lifted off platform you lower back down for desired number of repetitions before repeating sequence as before.
A 2019 study discovered that whole body vibration exercise significantly decreases pain associated with musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. Researchers observed how vibrations activated multiple muscle groups simultaneously for synergistic effect; furthermore, participants with neuropathy due to chemotherapy reported reduced discomfort after receiving this therapy.
Wave vibration can be particularly helpful for improving balance and decreasing fall risk, according to numerous studies. Wave vibration offers numerous other advantages as well, including increasing balance, decreasing fall risk, improving knee joint mobility, helping postmenopausal osteoporosis patients retain bone, and helping preserve cognitive function among healthy adults as well as those living with dementia or ADHD.
Vibration plates can assist with weight loss by improving blood circulation and relieving muscle stiffness, as well as speeding up workouts for athletes. Vibration therapy is also used to treat injuries like tendonitis and sprains – as its vibrations cause muscles to contract and relax more rapidly, providing for faster recovery times than traditional exercises alone. Although vibration therapy offers quick results, this should not replace regular physical exercise; only increasing its speed.
