Benefits of Whole Body Vibration Treatment in Bone Health

Side Benefit of Space Travel Brings Advance in Bone Health…

November 09, 2010 | 52,047 views

Older adults could benefit from vibration, according to a new study. Whole-body vibration treatments could help reduce the bone loss that occurs as people age.

Numerous previous studies have examined the benefits of vibration on bone density. A 2008 study also found a significant improvement in bone mineral density, as well as a reduction in back pain.

EMax Health reports:

"Vibration is proving useful in other areas of bone health, especially in people who have fractures ... [S]tudies show vibration slows stem cell proliferation, which leads to more stem cells becoming bone cells rather than continuing on to make more stem cells. Other studies have shown that vibration can also improve weight loss and muscle strength."

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Whole body vibration (WBV) platforms originate from research conducted during the 1960s space race. The more precise scientific term for this though is acceleration training. It works on the principle of Newton's second law of thermodynamics, which you might recall from high school physics class.

Force = Mass X Acceleration

Normally we are only dealing with acceleration due to the force of gravity or 1G and the only way we vary the force in exercise is to increase the weight. However if you examine the equation you can easily see that you can increase the force by increasing acceleration by increasing the G force to 2 or more.

These systems work by having a plate that is driven by a motor to rapidly move up and down several millimeters typically between 30 and 50 times per second. The more rapid the oscillations or the larger the plate displacement the higher the G forces. Some machines will reach G forces of 8, or eight times the force of gravity.

However, acceleration training is not only effective at building muscle mass, it may help build bone mass too. NASA has tested vibration platforms to help prevent the bone loss that occurs during space travel, and now researchers are looking into more "earth-bound" uses for the machines as well.

In a new study by Medical College of Georgia researchers, using vibration therapy 30 minutes daily for 12 weeks improved bone density in mice, a finding that adds support for their use in humans, especially the elderly.

It's thought that the vibrations prompt movement of the cell nucleus, which may trigger the release of osteoblasts to build bone.

Previous studies have also found that acceleration training increases bone density in the hip and inhibits bone loss in the spine and hip areas.

Emerging Benefits of Whole Body Acceleration

As Dr. Keith DeOrio, M.D. explained in another article, your entire body musculature, as well as your internal organs and glands, are affected by acceleration training

Your muscle spindles fire secondary to the mechanical stimulation produced by the vibrating plate, and this rapid firing of the muscle spindle causes a neuromuscular response that leads to physiological changes in your brain as well as your entire body.

Traumas and injuries can leave cellular memories in your brain or body tissue that impede normal body movement or function, even after they're healed. Using acceleration training allows your body and brain to rapidly de-imprint these old cell traumas, re-imprinting with positive, healthy information.

This allows for better and more efficient rehabilitation of injuries from sports or surgery than traditional methods of therapy.

Since acceleration training is accomplished with very little stress to your joints, tendons and ligaments -- essentially you stand or perform slow specific movements on a vibrating platform -- it can be a very good therapy regimen if you've suffered injuries, if you're elderly, or if you have disease conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia or multiple sclerosis, which would normally limit your fitness program.

According to Dr. DeOrio, studies have shown that a mere 12 minutes of training on a WBV plate is equal to a 1.5-hour workout with weights!

And a separate study performed by the University of Liege in Belgium found that after six weeks elderly 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

This was all accomplished by performing four one-minute sessions, three times a week, so in just 12 minutes a week!

click link below to read original post

Benefits of Whole Body Vibration Treatment in Bone Health