Whole Body Vibration can be beneficial for muscles and bones, especially in older or sedentary adults.

Whole body vibration, or WBV, involves standing on a platform that sends mild vibratory impulses through the feet and into the rest of the body. The vibrations activate muscle fibers more efficiently than the contraction of muscles during regular exercise.

Some studies have found that WBV increases bone density in the hip, and inhibit bone loss in the spine and hip areas.  WBV training has also been shown to improve and maintain bone mineral density in postmenopausal women and is being studied for its therapeutic potential.  For example:  increasing older women’s bone mass.  This seems to be a much better alternative than the dangerous osteoporosis drugs currently on the market.

WBV training has shown significant gains in most measures of muscle performance in sedentary and elderly individuals.  One study, performed by the University of Liege in Belgium, investigated the effects of whole body vibration exercises on overall health in elderly patients and found that after 6 weeks (performing 4 one-minute sessions, 3 times a week), the 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

These are pretty amazing results, and in a very short amount of time.  Plus, since it’s accomplished with little stress to your joints, tendons and ligaments, it can be a very good therapy option if you’ve suffered injuries, are elderly, or have conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia or multiple sclerosis, which would normally limit your fitness program.