What is Whole Body Vibration Therapy?

Whole body vibration therapy (WBVT) is becoming more popular in mainstream healthcare for the purpose of stimulating muscles along with lymph and cerebrospinal fluid flow for improved health. There have been numerous documented reports worldwide of increased mental clarity, improved athletic performance and physical strength along with reduction of toxicity in lower extremities.

Whole body vibration is a generic term used where any vibration of any frequency is transferred to the human body. Whole body vibration therapy (WBVT) is a precise discipline where varying frequencies/amplitudes/forces will be transferred into separate body parts using specific joint angles for any limited time (approximately 1 minute sets)

WBVT can be split into 2 simple categories:

WBV Physiotherapy and WBV Training. WBV Physiotherapy includes stretches and massages in light contact with the machine or with minimal body weight behind the position. These positions affect the lymph flow and should be zero effort (burning no energy). The most widely promoted WBV Physiotherapy position is standing upright, lock-legged on a pivotal or low energy lineal machine.

WBV Training causes static muscle contraction and is always done through a series of poses. The most common positions include a half-squat, half-push up, wide stance squat, triceps’ dip and the plank hold. These static positions are usually held for a maximum of 1 minute and are designed to burn the maximum amount of energy in the shortest amount of time while causing no joint damage. In WBV Training terms this means if a position is being held correctly, muscle fatigue in the targeted body part should be reached within 1 minute.

There are two categories of machinery – Pivotal and Lineal. The best way to describe these actions are as follows; Pivotal is like jumping side-to-side from one foot to the other; Lineal is like jumping up and down or doing push ups in one spot. Pivotal primarily works on the speed of the machine, looking at peak performance of approximately 27 HZ (cycles per second).

A pivotal machine running on a low frequency (12 Hz and under) would be mainly used for physiotherapy applications and some strength and conditioning. Above this frequency it enters the area of exercise discipline and comes with some associated risks. For example, high speed with incorrect positioning could cause injury.

In as early as the 1880s and 1890s, John Harvey Kellogg was utilizing vibrating chairs, platforms and bars at his Battle Creek, Michigan sanitarium. These methods were part of his "wellness" strategies for inpatient and outpatient treatment.

In the 1960s Russian scientist Nazarov used whole body vibration for treatment and rehab for athletes. He observed a substantial increase in flexibility and strength after the application of vibrations in the athletes. The Russians also carried out experiments with "Biomechanical Stimulation" for the benefit of their athletes as well as in their space program. Unlike WBV devices on which the user stands, Biomechanical Stimulation uses vibration stimulation directly on muscles or tendons.

Due to the lack of gravity in space, astronauts and cosmonauts exhibited muscle atrophy (muscle impairment) and bone loss, which forces them to return to earth rather quickly. NASA, since 1961, has been doing tests at adding light vibrations to pre-existing exercise equipment’s such as the Treadmill Vibration Isolation System (TVIS) and the Cycle Ergometer Vibration Isolation System (CEVIS).

In order to elicit a stretch reflex in the muscles, the major contributing factor to the training results that can be achieved with vibrating platforms, the up-down movement is the most important. The platform is vibrated upwards to work directly against gravity and therefore is called "hyper-gravity".

Another immediate effect of WBVT is an improvement of circulation. The rapid contraction and relaxation of the muscles at 20 to 50 times per second basically works as a pump on the blood vessels and lymphatic vessels, increasing the speed of the blood flow through the body .This can cause a tingling, prickling, warm sensation in the skin from vasodilatation (widening of the blood vessels) as a result of the vibration.

Long term

In order to have any effect on the body in the long term it is vital that the body systems experience fatigue or some sort of light stress. As in other kinds of training, when the body is overloaded repeatedly and regularly, the principle of supercompensation applies. This principle is the cause of the body adapting to loading. In other words: performance will increase.

The discipline of vibration training has been popularly crossed with other disciplines ranging from yoga, Pilates, boxing to plyometrics. Even though this goes against the idea of pure vibration training It seems to catch the imagination of personal trainers and consumers.

Better Brain Tip

Try a whole body vibration therapy session and feel the positive effects. Call our office to set up your complimentary consultation regarding our WBVT options.

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