Whole Body Vibration Therapy (WBV) is becoming increasingly popular. Initially, vibration training was mainly used in the fitness industry, but Vibration Therapy is expanding quickly into all areas of physical medicine and rehabilitation. The V-Force machine employs powerful, whole-body vibration technology, which provides neuromuscular training to increase strength, improve balance and enhance flexibility. PhysioCare Rehab offers Vibration Therapy in its Voorhees, NJ office.
As a therapy, WBV was explored by Russian scientist Vladimir Nazarov who tested vibration on astronauts in an effort to decrease the loss of muscle and bone mass in space. Astronauts in space lose their muscular strength very quickly and the decrease of bone density increases the risk of bone fractures. Before their departure, astronauts were subjected to WBV training sessions so that the density of their bones would increase and their muscular strength would rise.
The vibration platforms originate from research conducted during the 1960's space race. They work on the principle that if muscles are exercised while being shaken, they activate neighboring muscle fibers, hence building mass faster.
WBV training has also been shown to improve and maintain bone mineral density in postmenopausal women and the tactic is being studied for its therapeutic potential, such as increasing older women’s bone mass – a far better alternative than the dangerous osteoporosis drugs currently on the market, for sure.
However, the authors of the study above warn that if you have certain health conditions, such as heart disease or high blood pressure, you may want to avoid WBV until safety concerns have been addressed more fully.
Remarkable Benefits for the Elderly
WBV training has demonstrated significant gains in most measures of muscle performance in sedentary and elderly individuals. But one study, performed by the University of Liege in Belgium, investigated the effects of controlled whole body vibrations exercises on overall health in elderly patients and found that after 6 weeks (performing 4 one-minute sessions, 3 times a week), the participants experienced:
- 143 percent improvement in physical function
- 77 percent improvement in equilibrium
- 60 percent improvement in vitality
- 57 percent improvement in the quality of walking
- 41 percent reduction in pain
- 23 percent improvement in general health
Download Brochure
