Whole Body Vibration Therapy

Whole Body Vibration Therapy Research

Below are just a few of the research articles written on the impact of whole body vibration on the various systems of the body. A synopsis of the article is written before the link to the entire article:
1) Whole Body Vibration
Synopsis: The WBV has the ability to target specific areas such as back, quads, calf, hamstrings, pelvic floor etc. An intense workout is performed in a brief time, without muscle soreness following exercise. Many sports teams in the US (Chicago Cubs, The Mets etc) and throughout Europe are using them as well as part of their training.
http://www.totalphysio.com.au/wholebodyvibratio.html
2) The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that regular use of the vibration training methods increased muscle strength by 20 to 30 percent more than ordinary weightlifting in 85 percent less time.
Also the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in north London have had promising results by using the power plate/WBV in the treatment of cerebral palsy, chronic pain and back injuries.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/fitness/wobble-to-wellbeing/2006/10/05/1159641434271.html?page=2
3) Clinical Physiology
Volume 20 Issue 2 Page 134-142, March 2000
To cite this article: Rittweger, Beller, Felsenberg (2000)
Clinical Physiology 20 (2), 134-142.
This study showed that WBV was good for heart rate, oxygen uptake and reduction in jump height.
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1365-2281.2000.00238.x?journalCode=cpf
4) Whole Body Vibration: A New Exercise Approach
Presented by : Martha R. Hinman, PT, EdD Associate Professor Dept of Physical Therapy, The University of Texas Medical Branch
Study based on European data found the WBV is used for strength and power training in athletes, helps with acute back problems, neuromuscular disorders, incontinence (via muscle strengthening), obesity, PVD/diabetes and postural stability.
http://www.myvibraslim.com/report_vibration_exercise/TexasUResearch.pdf
5) OSU Researchers to Shake-Up Hip Replacement Therapy
02-09-06 
By Stephen Swanson, 541-737-0789
SOURCE: Gianni Maddalozzo, 541-737-6802
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Good vibrations may be the key for Oregon State University researchers seeking to aid hip replacement patients.
This study will examine the effects of the WBV on patients ages 60-75 who have recently had partial hip replacement surgery in the past two years.
Animal studies show that show that vibration treatment has a significant effect on bone formation and muscle mass according to Maddalozzo.
With the WBV a person can get the benefits of a 45- to 50-minute workout for less than half that time with attending the gym.
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/2006/Feb06/hip.htm
6) 2001 Abstacts: Spinal Cord Injury
“Motor rehabilitation of spinal cord dysfunction by means of whole body vibration.”
John G. Gianutos, PhD, Liisa C. Oakes, BA, Vincent Siasoco, MD, Stacy Appelblatt, MS, PT, Juliana Hamel, MS,PT 
NYU School of Medicine, New York , NY
Study found that WBV showed promising modality for the use in rehabilitating patients with motor dysfunction of spinal origin.
The use of WBV with patients who had problems with standing was increased considerably allowing the patients to stand without minimal assistance and to eventually walk independently.
http://www.versaclimber.com/pdf/1motor_rehab.pdf
7) Hormonal responses to whole-body vibration in men.
European Journal Applied Physiology 2000 Apr; 81 (6): 449-54
Bosco C, Iacovelli M, Tsarpela O, Cardinale M, Bonifazi M, Tihanyi J, Viru M, De Lorenzo A, Viru A.
Societa Stampa Sportiva, Rome , Italy . c.bosco@quipo.it
Study found that neuromuscular performance was improved with whole body vibration along with jumping performance which was also enhanced.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10774867&dopt=Abstract
8) Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003 Jun;35(6):1033-41.
Strength increase after whole-body vibration compared with resistance training.
Delecluse C, Roelants M, Verschueren S.
Exercise Physiology and Biomechanics Laboratory, Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Department of Kinesiology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven , Belgium . christophe.delecluse@flok.kuleuven.ac.be
“WBV, and the reflexive muscle contraction it provokes, has the potential to induce strength gain in knee extensors of previously untrained females to the same extent as resistance training at moderate intensity. It was clearly shown that strength increases after WBV training are not attributable to a placebo effect.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12783053
9) Journal Of Bone and Mineral Research
Volume 19, Number 3, 2004
Published online on December 22, 2003; doi: 10.1359/JBMR.0301245 
© 2004 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Effect of 6-Month Whole Body Vibration Training on Hip Density,
Muscle Strength, and Postural Control in Postmenopausal Women:
A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study
Sabine MP Verschueren,1 Machteld Roelants,2 Christophe Delecluse,2 Stephan Swinnen,1
Dirk Vanderschueren,3 and Steven Boonen4
Conclusion: These findings suggest that WBV training may be a feasible and effective way to modify wellrecognized risk factors for falls and fractures in older women and support the need for further human studies.
J Bone Miner Res 2004;19:352–359. Published online on December 22, 2003; doi: 10.1359/JBMR.0301245
10) Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Volume 52 Issue 6 Page 901-908, June 2004 
To cite this article: Machteld Roelants MS, Christophe Delecluse PhD, Sabine M. Verschueren PhD (2004)
Whole-Body-Vibration Training Increases Knee-Extension Strength and Speed of Movement in Older Women
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 52 (6), 901–908.
“WBV is a suitable training method and is as efficient as conventional RES training to improve knee-extension strength and speed of movement and counter-movement jump performance in older women. As previously shown in young women, it is suggested that
the strength gain in older women is mainly due to the vibration stimulus and not only to the unloaded exercises performed on the WBV platform.
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2004.52256.x?cookieSet=1&journalCode=jgs
11) Short-Term Effects of Whole-Body Vibration on Postural Control in Unilateral Chronic Stroke Patients: Preliminary Evidence.
Brief Report
American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. 83(11):867-873, November 2004.
van Nes, Ilse J.W. MD; Geurts, Alexander C.H. MD, PhD; Hendricks, Henk T. MD, PhD; Duysens, Jacques MD, PhD
“After the whole-body vibration, the third assessment demonstrated a reduction in the root mean square (RMS) center-of-pressure velocity in the anteroposterior direction when standing with the eyes closed (P < 0.01), which persisted during the fourth assessment. Furthermore, patients showed an increase in their weight-shifting speed at the third balance assessment (P < 0.05) while their precision remained constant. No adverse effects of whole-body vibration were observed. It is concluded that whole-body vibration may be a promising candidate to improve proprioceptive control of posture in stroke patients.”
http://www.amjphysmedrehab.com/pt/re/ajpmr/abstract.00002060-200411000-00009.htm
12) Treatment of Chronic Lower Back Pain with Lumbar Extension and Whole-Body Vibration Exercise: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Randomized Trial
Spine. 27(17):1829-1834, September 1, 2002.
Rittweger, Jorn MD ,*; Just, Karsten MD ,+; Kautzsch, Katja MsPsych ,++; Reeg, Peter MD ,[S]; Felsenberg, Dieter PhD [//]
“Different types of exercise therapy tend to yield comparable results. Interestingly, well-controlled vibration may be the cure rather than the cause of lower back pain.”
http://www.spinejournal.org/pt/re/spine/abstract.00007632-200209010-00003.htm
13) Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2005 Feb;86(2):303-7.
Controlled whole body vibration to decrease fall risk and improve health-related quality of life of nursing home residents.
Bruyere O, Wuidart MA, Di Palma E, Gourlay M, Ethgen O, Richy F, Reginster JY.
WHO Collaborating Center for Public Health Aspects of Osteoarticular Disorders, Liège , Belgium . olivier.bruyere@ulg.ac.be
CONCLUSIONS: Controlled whole body vibration can improve elements of fall risk and HRQOL in elderly patients.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=15706558&dopt=Citation
14) Whole-Body-Vibration Training Effective in Older Women CME
News Author: Laurie Barclay, MD
CME Author: Désirée Lie, MD, MSEd
• WBV is a safe, appropriate, and efficient strength-training method that can be applied in geriatric settings as a low-impact exercise program.
• Regular WBV training three times weekly for 24 weeks in postmenopausal women not receiving HRT significantly improved knee-extension isometric strength, dynamic strength, and speed of movement at levels comparable to similar RES training.
15) Detroit Medical Center
Vibration Therapy: The Fastest Growing Trend in Fitness and Rehabilitation The technology can produce up to 3,000 contractions in 1 minute
Date: 8/15/2006
Due to its involuntary effect on muscle contraction, nearly 100% of the muscle fibers are recruited. Compare this to conventional training where there is only on average 40% muscle recruitment. This benefits the rehabilitation patient looking to add stability and strength to all muscles around their joints.
The technology was originally designed to treat bone and lean muscle mass loss in cosmonauts who had spent considerable time in a weightless environment, in addition to enhancing power and strength and accelerating recovery in Russian Olympic athletes. Eventually, the technology was introduced to Europe in the early 1990’s, quo where further research was done to validate its effects. Due to its many benefits, the technology has quickly gained acceptance and is now utilized by universities, professional sports teams, and health professionals in the rehabilitation and medical fields.
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