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32575504257675Whole body vibration therapy is a form of exercise therapy that involves a machine that was originally developed to help astronauts in space preserve their muscle and bone mass while living in zero gravity conditions. (1) Because there is no gravity in space, there is no stress placed on the bones. The bones become weak as do the muscles. Hence this machine was made to try to combat this. The machines consists of a platform that the patient stands on and a control pane where a therapist adjusts the intensity of the vibrations based on the patient’s needs. (Refer to Figure 1) The vibrations that reverberate off the plate cause “fast but short stretches and contractions in muscles and tendon fibers.” (2) This causes muscle power and strength to increase. Recent studies of whole body vibration therapy have shown how it “increases muscle strength, improves balance, and increases bone mass” as well as how it showed “improvements in standing function, lumbar spine bone mineral density, and tibial bone mass,” after use. (3) These findings have started making scientists explore the potential benefits that this technology has for other uses, like rehabilitation and weight loss. Due to the increased blood flow this machines causes, neurological functions have been shown to also benefit from this machine as well.Figure 1 : Whole body vibration machine.Whole body vibration therapy helps stimulate muscles, circulation, nerves, and brain functioning by forcing the body to respond to the stimulating movements, even though the actual movements are very slight. (1) In fact, to the naked eye, it looks as if the platform is not moving. It takes about 8 -15 minutes compared to 15-25 minutes to achieve the relatively same results. (4) A person can either be standing or sitting while using this machine. Since whole body vibration can stimulate “muscles that the brain can't control, it can help minimize lower-body atrophy and, in some cases, reconnect the signal from the brain with previously weakened muscles.” (5) Thus, it has many benefits for people with certain disabilities such as people with muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, osteoporosis, cystic fibrosis and Parkinson’s, just to name a few. Whole body vibration therapy is a valuable tool for accelerating recovery after surgery. The vibrations provide distal muscular stimulation from the site of injury and increases circulation. Usually when people are injured or go through surgery they have to adopt a sedentary lifestyle until they are recovered. The stimulation this machine provides helps the patient retain some of their muscle strength and toning until they can return to normalcy and properly work out. (4)There are also claims that whole body vibration machines can help someone lose weight. Some studies cite that there is a noted reduction of cellulose in individuals who use this machine. In fact a 15 week study done on mice showed that the mice who were placed on low vibration plate for 15 minutes a day 5 days a week had trimmer bodies then the mice who were on plates that did not vibrate, even though they were fed the same amount of food. While the studies on the full effectiveness of whole body vibration are promising, they are not conclusive enough to say confidently that there are really significant benefits to using it. (6)Aside from those two purposes, whole body vibration therapy has also been shown to be beneficial to people who suffer from muscular dystrophy. Muscle dystrophy is a progressive disease in which the person affected (always a male) gets weaker and loses their ability to walk. Inactivity often makes it worse, yet the affect person is often so weak exercising is not their top priority. (6) Since whole body vibration therapy causes short stretches and contractions in muscles and tendon fibers, it is working out the muscle. Also, because it only takes minimal effort to use the machine, it is not too vigorous for them to do. These machines are a promising way to help people suffering from muscular dystrophy. Whole body vibration therapy has been shown to have positive effects on people with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a non progressive condition that mainly causes disability with body movements. One recent study showed that “an eight week intervention of whole body vibration therapy can increase muscle strength, without negative effect on spasticity, in adults with cerebral palsy.” (7) Another study showed how whole body vibration therapy helps children with cerebral palsy increase their mobility functioning. The children’s average walking speeds for the 10 meter walk test increased after being exposed to whole body vibration therapy while the control group had no significant changes. (8) Whole body vibration therapy is beneficial for people of all ages with cerebral palsy because it increases their muscle strength and quality of life without causing any harm to their bodies. People with cerebral palsy can suffer from muscle atrophy or underdevelopment and the vibrations from this machine help prevent this from happening.Another field that whole body vibration therapy is being used as an alternative exercise therapy is for people with osteoporosis, with focus on the elderly. Osteoporosis literally means porous bones, meaning the bones are often weak and brittle. To combat this, some people would rather take an alternative route then prescription drugs, which do work very well, and so turn to whole body vibration instead. According to Vivian Eisenstadt, MAPT, OCS, and author of many articles relating to whole body vibration therapy, the this type of therapy can “quell the effects of osteoporosis by balancing hormones and increasing mechanical stressors on bones via involuntary muscle contractions.” (5) The extra stress on the bones, which causes them to become stronger, happens because there is increased muscle and ligament strength. Thus while whole body vibrations primarily helps increase muscle strength, it also increase bones strength as well. (2) This is important because people with osteoporosis are more likely to break a bone when they fall. This could be very detrimental to the elderly because it is harder and takes longer to heal after this type of injury.In addition to those studies, there are also other studies linking the benefits of whole body vibration therapy to Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. People with Parkinson’s often have impaired motor skills, such as walking, and speech. After a few weeks of therapy with this machine, a marked improvement is shown in a patient’s gait and equilibrium. They are able to get around easier and with more stability. These findings show that whole body vibration improves a person’s quality of life, but it should be noted that it was not shown to be superior to conventional balance training; just an alternative that takes a shorter amount of time to produce results. (9) As mentioned earlier, whole body vibration therapy can also help people who have cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes the body to produce thick, sticky mucus that builds up in the lungs and digestive tract. Exercise has been show to help loosen this mucus and control the effects of cystic fibrosis. Other characteristics include lack of muscle mass and bone mass deficits. Whole body vibration therapy works by evoking muscle contractions via stretch reflexes. With only “three 3-min sessions twice a day, 5 days per week for 3 months” the machine was able to improve muscle function. (10) Neuromuscular and intramuscular co-ordination had improved after using of this form of therapy. (11) Whole body vibration therapy has shown to be very beneficial for this disability.While many people can benefit from whole body vibration therapy, there are some contraindications. Contraindications increase the risk associated with whole body vibration. Table 1 lists the contraindications associated with this machine. People who find themselves having one or more contraindication most likely shouldn’t use this form of therapy, although it is ultimately up the patient and their doctor to decide if this form of therapy is the right choice for them.Table 1 – Contraindications of whole body vibration therapy (12)PregnancyAcute/ Deep Vein ThrombosisSerious Cardiovascular DiseasePacemakerChronic Fatigue SyndromeAcute hernia, DiscopathySevere Diabetic neuropathyTumorsRecent SurgeriesAcute disc related problems, Spondylosis, gliding Spondylolisthesis or fracturesCardiac dysrhythmiasAcute Rheumatoid ArthritisAcute MigraineFresh (surgical) woundsSurgical metal implantsOsteonecrosisSevere Osteoporosis with BMDEpilepsyGallstones, Kidney stones, Bladder stonesAcute/sever inflammations, infections and/ or feverAs you can see, whole body vibration therapy has many benefits to society. It can help people going through rehabilitation after surgery and injury, possibly help people lose weight, it can help people with muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, osteoporosis, cystic fibrosis and people suffering from Parkinson’s. Not everyone can benefit from this machine however. The contraindication list should always be consulted before starting any exercise therapy. While there are promising studies showing the benefits of whole body vibration therapy, much more research is needed on this machine to fully understand its potential.References1. King M. Elderly people exercise with vibration therapy. 2009. Available at: . Accessed March 30,2010.2. National Osteoporosis Society. Vibration therapy and osteoporosis. 2008. Available at: . Accessed on March 20, 2010.3. Rauch F. Vibration therapy. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. 2009; 4:166-168.4. Sidhu J. Vibration and contraindications: Looking at hip and knee replacements.2009. Available at : . Accessed on March 30, 2010.5. Eisenstadt V. A New Platform to Better Health. Advance for Physical Therapists and PT assistants. [serial online] 2010; 20: 26. Available at: Friendly.aspx?CC=203717. Accessed on March 20, 2010.6. Bouchez C. Passive exercise: Whole-body vibration and more. WebMD: Better Information Better, Health. Available at . Accessed on March 20, 2010.7. Ahlborg L, Andersson C & Julin?P. Whole-body vibration training compared with resistance training: Effect on spasticity, muscle strength and motor performance in adults with cerebral palsy. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine. 2006; 38:302- 308.8. Ruck J,?Chabot G,?Rauch F. Vibration treatment in cerebral palsy: A randomized controlled pilot study. Journal of Musculoskeletal & Neuronal Interactions. 2010;10:77-83.9. Ebersbach G,?Edler D,?Kaufhold O,?Wissel J. Whole body vibration versus conventional physiotherapy to improve balance and gait in Parkinson's disease. Achieves of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.?2008;89:399-403.10. Rietschel E,?van Koningsbruggen S,?Fricke O,?Semler O,?Schoenau E. Whole body vibration: a new therapeutic approach to improve muscle function in cystic fibrosis? International Journal of Rehabilitation Research. 2008;31:253-256.11. Roth J,?Wust M,?Rawer R,?et al. Whole body vibration in cystic fibrosis-a pilot study. Journal of Musculoskeletal & Neuronal Interactions. 2008;8:179-187.12. Reichardt C. Whole Body Vibration Guidelines For Contraindications. 2009. Available at: . Accessed on March 30, 2010. ................
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