However, the amount of mechanical vibrations we are exposed to has increased enormously over the last few centuries. Truck drivers, forklift drivers, construction workers and helicopter pilots absorb a lot of vibration on a daily basis. The complaints they suffer, mainly in joints and spine, cause tremendous problems. 

There are some fundamental differences between vibration exposures in the work place compared to vibration from the Whole Body Vibration (WBV) platform. While training on the platform you are actively using the vibrations, which are being absorbed in the muscles instead of the joints. The duration is also much less. The total amount of time of a training session is not even close to the time that people are exposed to vibrations in a working environment.

 A WBV platform complies with the I.S.O. standards for industrial use, provided that training does not exceed 2 hours a day. For that matter, it is useless to train longer than 20 minutes or more often than 3 or 4 times a week. If you use the WBV machine according to the instructions and under certified supervision, vibration training is many times safer than any other sports or training activity.

Vibration training is becoming more and more popular.  When you incorporate the use of a whole body vibration machine into your regular health and fitness regimen, you can lose weight. Not only will you experience weight loss, but you will have a faster metabolism, tighter muscles, and a more attractive body. Whole body vibration machines also improve your flexibility, range of motion, and circulation.  

When using a whole body vibration machine, your muscles can contract 20-50 times per second based on the Hertz setting of the machine. This contraction causes your body to work harder and burn more calories with basic exercises than you would normally doing floor exercises.

 Whole Body vibration will help you build lean mass by performing exercises and various moves to target different regions throughout your body.

See the information below from a study funded by the Artesis University College of Antwerp, Belgium.

“In this study we demonstrated that adding aerobic exercise or whole body vibration (WBV) to a hypocaloric diet can help to maintain weight loss. Moreover, the addition of WBV seems to initiate an even larger loss of visceral adipose tissue (VAT). “

This study shows that combining whole body vibration training with caloric restriction can help to achieve a sustained long-term weight loss of 5–10%. This data shows that WBV training may have the potential to reduce VAT more than aerobic exercise in obese adults, possibly making it a meaningful addition to future weight loss programs.

The lymphatic system has no central pump but depends on muscle contraction and manual manipulation to move fluid. Deep breathing is another way we can enhance movement of lymph through our bodies. 

You have twice as much lymph fluid in your body as blood. The lymph continuously flows to each cell and drains away the debris in a circulatory system powered only by your breathing and muscle contractions. If the movement of the lymph stopped entirely you would die in a matter of hours.  Whole Body Vibration stimulates the muscles to contract and relax at a very fast rate just by standing on the platform.  

 The science behind how and why whole body vibration works is actually quite simple.  Imagine, with WBV you are standing (or sitting) on a platform that is rapidly moving up to 50 times a second. Naturally, your body must react to the external stimulus of the rapidly moving platform. Since the vibrating platform is constantly moving, all the muscles in your body must also constantly compensate for the movement.  Your muscles are rapidly stretching and contracting as a result of the vibrations.  Therefore you are moving lymph. 

The benefits of lymphatic drainage are very important in today’s environment where pollution, stress and deficient immune systems make many people susceptible to contagious disease and viral infections.  The lymphatic system plays a vital role in the body by regulating the immune system. When the lymphatic system becomes blocked, lymphatic fluid builds up and stagnates causing the entire system to become toxic.

Lymphatic drainage clears blockages, eliminates wastes and toxins from the body, transports nutrients to cells and increases metabolic efficiency, all adding to the reduction of excess fluid and assisting weight reduction. It can also have a calming effect on the nervous system and helps relieve stress and tension.

By cleansing and unblocking your lymphatic system, your general health improves, your immune system is strengthened and enhanced, and your overall energy is increased.

Whole Body Vibration (WBV) technology originated in Europe and has been an evolving technology for the past 50 years. Sweden, Italy, Germany, and Russia have contributed immensely to the progression of WBV research and development for the purposes of fitness and rehabilitation. Many scientific research studies have been performed which validate the benefits of WBV with respect to bone density and fighting osteoporosis, increased blood circulation, more efficient muscle toning, and much more.

The NutriMedical Report hosted by Dr. William Deagle nationwide investigated and discussed the groundbreaking health and fitness phenomena known as the “Vibration Fitness Machine”. Dr. Deagle for the past 12 months been testing and researching the effects of vibration exercise for fitness and health. He reported his findings stating that his research and the many published medical reports from doctors, universities and medical centers confirm that vibration fitness exercise has many benefits including: weight-loss, rapid muscle strength growth, increased bone density, Higher HGH levels, pain reduction and greatly improved balance just to name a few. He also quoted a study from the European Congress on Obesity that was recently released which found that whole body vibration was four times as effective as traditional workouts for weight loss.

“The Doctors” TV segment airing February 26 demonstrates how vibration exercise can replicate a 60 minute treadmill workout in 10 minutes. Whole body vibration machines cause the muscles to contract and stretch – just like regular exercise does. Other benefits include: total muscle toning, accelerated weight loss, cellulite reduction, stress reduction, increased flexibility and faster metabolism.

On February 12, “The Tyra Banks Show” demonstrated vibration technology and was part of “The Tyra Banks Show” special “Beauty Across America” showcasing the latest fitness, health and beauty techniques that work. Many professional sports teams including Olympic, NFL, NHL, MLB and NBA teams have adopted the vibration fitness machines into daily training programs. This has really given the industry a boost of interest and given consumers the confidence to try Whole Body Vibration.

Regardless of your physical condition, the subconscious stretch reflexes will tighten almost all your muscles at once with vibration exercise. That compares with just 45 per cent of muscle fibers used during conventional training. Traditional training increases muscle strength because your body reacts to the extra resistance created by the weights over and above regular gravity. With Vibration Training your body reacts to acceleration rather than extra weight, which is many times greater than standard training stimuli. And this is happening 20-50 times a second.

High end health clubs, professional sports teams, and prestigious medical facilities have been using WBV in the US for years, but a quality and affordable WBV solution for home use has not been available until now.

WBV training contracts virtually 100% of the muscle fibers of any particular muscle, whereas weight resistance training only fires about 40%. WBV fires not one muscle group after the other, as typical weight training does, but the whole body neuromusculoskeletal system is being stimulated at once. That is why with WBV your training time is significantly reduced.

The science behind how and why WBV works is actually quite simple. Imagine, with WBV you are standing (or sitting) or a platform that is rapidly moving up to 50 times a second. Naturally, your body must react to the external stimulus of the rapidly moving platform. Since the vibrating platform is constantly moving, all the muscles in your body must also constantly compensate for the movement.

Your muscles are rapidly stretching and contracting as a result of the vibrations. This is why your body fatigues much faster when doing workouts on WBV equipment as opposed to conventional workouts.

WBV stimulates your brain and helps improve balance and stability because the rapidly moving platform forces your mind to react to the new variable you’ve given it. Just standing on the vibrating platform will force all of your stabilizer muscles to react and fatigue from keeping you in one position.

WBV requires very little exertion compared with traditional forms of exercise.  Some studies comparing this training method to traditional strength training have found similar gains in strength and gains in explosive power.

Almost any position from a yoga or fitness class can be performed on a whole body vibration platform, and Yoga postures are usually held for a minute or two to allow time to focus on alignment.
For the Feet & Legs
- Feet evenly spaced, hip width apart with the outer edges parallel to the edge of the platform
- Even weight distribution through the ball of the foot and the heel
- Lifting the inner arches of the feet, while maintaining an evenness through the ankles
- Lifting the thighs above the kneecap
- Pushing out through the back of the legs
For the Lower Back
- Lifting out of the sacrum, lengthening the lower back
- Maintaining an even lumbar; stabilize by not over arching
- Tuck the tailbone under with navel to spine
For the Back, Neck & Shoulders
-Keep the shoulders down, away from your ears
-Evenness through the collarbones
-Lift the chest without throwing the ribcage forward

When all the muscle groups in the body are able to receive necessary stimulus, the effects of stress may be reduced. When using a vibration platform, endorphins can be released into the blood stream which may promote a sense of well being, enhancing the perceived quality of life. Vibration training may yield an increase in key hormones like serotonin that counter mental lethargy and show true enhancement in overall mood while sharpening the ability to focus and concentrate. Some people have reported an increase in a feeling of optimism, which has lead to the conclusion that the stimulating effects of the vibration machine may help counteract certain types of depression and loss of motivation.

This kind of detoxification can cause feelings of fatigue, exhaustion, headaches, nausea and flu‐like symptoms. If you experience these symptoms, you now know that this is actually a good sign. It’s a sign that the body is releasing toxins and is on its way to recovery.

You can help this process of detoxification by making sure that you are sufficiently hydrated before and after your whole body vibration work‐outs. To stay hydrated consider drinking ½ of your body weight in ounces of water per day. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, drink 80 ounces of water every day.

Effects of WBV on the central nervous system have become a very hot topic recently.

Research studies have already shown positive results in patients with incomplete spinal cord injuries.  These subjects showed improvement in walking speed, cadence, step length and consistency of intra-limb coordination after only one month of WBV therapy.

It is believed that further research in these areas could lead to relevance in using WBV for:

• Pain management
• Neuroendocrine function
• Mood alteration
• Memory
• Improvement of efficiency and strength of the neurophysical pathways through the body. 

The benefits and applications of WBV are almost limitless.

Here are the top 5 uses for Whole Body Vibration in a practice:

1. Pre adjustment warm up & post adjustment cool down
2. Injury rehabilitation
3. Proprioception/neuromuscular training
4. Weight loss
5. Postural Correction

WBV has so many benefits yet these are the most common for doctors and their patients.

Another great benefit is that doctors can charge cash per session or get reimbursed from insurance for each session.  Not only does Whole Body Vibration add an additional revenue source but it also is something patients enjoy!  Doctors can implement this value adding adjunct easily and effectively.

WBV training depends on both the frequency and intensity of the vibrations. The higher the hertz setting, the more the muscles and the brain have to contract in order to appropriately adjust to the movement of the platform. This increase in hertz can lead to a more powerful training effect in some circumstances.

It is recommended that you use a progressively phased in exercise protocol for incorporating WBV training into your routine. As your body adapts to this new form of exercise it will become more and more difficult as you continue to challenge yourself with a whole body vibration unit.

As your training progresses:

1) Extend the time of each exercise

2) Reduce the rest period between exercises

3) Increase the number of sets per exercise

4) Perform exercise statically (standing still) then dynamically (moving)

5) Add more challenging exercises

6) Increase the frequency (Hz)

7) Incorporate unilateral exercises (perform exercise on one leg)

Some users will start at a very low level and increase slowly and gradually while others will want to start at more of a medium level and increase their workouts more rapidly.  Listen to your body and use common sense when it comes to any new therapy or exercise program.