There’s a lot of talk about Whole Body Vibration these days. Whole Body Vibration that is used for therapy and fitness should not be confused with those sources of dangerous occupational vibration that can sometimes lead to severe disability.
Bad Whole Body Vibration for example, is the kind of vibration experienced by truck drivers, factory workers and construction workers. That type of disruptive vibration is characterized by constant, extremely high frequencies and amplitudes (how hard a person is vibrated), as well as uneven and unpredictable spikes in frequency and amplitude. Also, people exposed to occupational vibration experience these dangerous levels of vibration for extended periods of time daily.
Healthy Whole Body Vibration, produced by a vibrating platform, operates at much lower levels of both frequency (from less than 10 Hz to less than 65 Hz – 1 Hertz = 1 cycle/second) and amplitude (often less than 1 mm, but can be as much as 1 cm). Even at the higher levels it’s still far below those limits suggested by OSHA. For therapy the usage of WBV can be as little as 3 minutes a day, three times per week. While the amount for athletes can be much higher it is still not all day, every day.
This modality, termed “Whole Body Vibration” (WBV), is being used by many from the frail elderly to the elite athlete. A few of the health benefits include:
* Improved bone mass density
* Increased muscle mass not only for athletes, but even for frail elders experiencing muscle weakness
* Dramatically better proprioception, balance and function for stroke patients and those suffering from Parkinson’s Disease
* Enhanced blood flow, and better lymphatic flow and venous drainage
* Increased metabolism, aiding weight-loss efforts
* Reduction of pain and muscle spasms
Everyday more and more people discover the exciting and dramatic benefits of vibrating platforms, the good Whole Body Vibration!
