Quite a mouthful in just the title alone. There have been no shortage of studies on the benefits of vibration plate exercises lately, so I’ll keep this one short and to the point.
Now that we’ve had a higher-end whole body vibration unit in our office for 7 or 8 years now, I can certainly combine what I’ve seen in the office with what I’ve read in the medical literature. There are a few situations where vibration plate exercises shine brightly, and balance and fall prevention top the list. This is especially true when someone has a condition that will increase his or her risk of falling such as multiple sclerosis, advanced age, Parkinson’s disease or diabetes. For those of you who have never been on a whole body vibration unit before, it’s hard to describe. Truly a unique experience but the vast majority of patients who try it in our office like the ride.
The surprising benefits to patients who have used the vibration plate consistently range from increased balance to decreased tremors (Parkinsonian) and increased leg strength. Research supports these findings and they make sense. This particular article, like many others before it, bring together the benefits of fall prevention and pain improvement in diabetics who suffer from painful diabetic neuropathy.
It is a small study, but in just a single session of vibration plate exercises, these patients saw improvements in the Unilateral Stance Test, the Timed Up and Go Test as well as tibialis anterior muscle strength. From a single session.
In case this sounds familiar, this is probably because I wrote a recent blog article (that can be found by clicking here) on balance in diabetic patients using vibration plate exercises. This study upped the ante, looking at diabetics with painful diabetic neuropathy.
For those of you who don’t have a clinic nearby that offers vibration plate exercises, there are two options for you if you have a condition that whole body vibration is likely to help.
- You can check out some of the whole body vibration units at Amazon.com by clicking here.
- You can contact our office about ordering a unit from Ridge and Company. We have had this unit in our office for patients to try and the results have been good for the price of the unit (around $1500). Mention this blog post for a $100 discount when ordered through our office.