Vibration training

[Bas]

Just thought I'd share this link: http://www.wavexercise.com/waveproducts/science.html
since "vibration machines" are the next hot fad in gyms. With the obligatory "famous folks" supporting it.
Now, this is just one of about 10 North American companies making these, but my interest in this particular one was twigged by some of the articles in the reference list.
Any thoughts?

[bernard]

Sebastian,

Here are some other references:
http://us.powerplate.com/EN/education/scientific_support.aspx

[BB]

Hi Bas,

Discerning anything from the strength and conditioning literature is difficult. Especially since this is a raving trend right now. I've seen advertisements for vibrating hand weights even.

I've heard good things about the treatment for balance though, so research on that may be better trusted place to start.

Balance in elderly (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=17074485&ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum)

Function with cerebral palsy (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=16931460&ordinalpos=4&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum)

In nursing home residents (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=16372905&ordinalpos=5&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum)

It looks as though there is some good support thus far in the balance literature. Also, I recall that Sandra Blakeslee spoke about vibration training in the "Body has a Mind of Its Own" and even spoke about vibrating shoe insoles!

[ian s]

Cory --yes i remember the bit about vibrating insoles too. I think she also recounted the fact that chinese parks had cobbled areas where elderly people walked on uneven surfaces (seems a low tech option).

Culturally I find this interesting . I am a luddite when it comes to movement and exercise. Exceptions include diseases which technology may radically alter a persons lifestyle (new tech stuff with cranial stiumlation which reads a spinal cord patients thoughts which drive devices etc) I am all for low tech or no tech .

People in our cultures worship gadgets --look at all the disused exercise bikes and ab trainers and soon to be vibrating machines .

Balance can be improved radically by walking off pavements , taking your shoes off etc!
http://www.somatic.com/articles/connect_w_earth.pdf
I like some of this Feldenkrais teachers thougthts ...

[nari]

Ian, I agree with your comments. If people did get used to uneven ground (cobblestones are a great example) in their early decades, there probably would be fewer balance and proprioception difficulties as they age.
I wonder if people in the country, where there are no such things as smooth roads and sterile lifts, might do much better than the pampered city folk. The more protected an environment becomes, the more risk for falls, etc.

Maybe, at the very least, they could introduce vibratory effects in those awful people-conveyor belts in airports and malls. ;)

Nari

[Jon Newman]

I've been a long time roller skier (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roller_skiing) (I consider it proactive adaptation to global warming) and thus have subjected myself to vibration training for years (at least when I'm unable to avoid certain sections of road). Personally I dislike the vibration. I like to think I have a hint of what it is like to have a non-painful LE sensory neuropathy and I'm not at all jealous. Luckily it only lasts for the time that I'm experiencing the vibration and for a very short duration thereafter.

I never thought about the Tom Sawyer approach of not only getting people to want to subject themselves to vibration but also paying to do it. Brilliant! I do hope it turns out to be particularly useful. I'm not ready to grab a paintbrush yet.

[Jon Newman]

Has anyone tried any of these vibration platforms? It occurs to me that perhaps they feel nothing like the vibration I dislike.

[nari]

I have, but I don't know if it was a "proper" platform. It delivered a vibration rather similar to the low key, high-amplitude 'buzz' of the deck of a small ship or boat underway. Not objectionable at all, but easy to habituate to after a few hours.

Nari

[BB]

Ian,

I am very low tech as well. Or, maybe better said use a minimalist approach when it comes to equipment in general. I'm OK with using some equipment as long as it's benefit can be applied at home. I used to get laughs from my patients who noticed I only used the fancy expensive equipment to tie bands to, and lean against.

Maybe we could ask our patients to stand on top of the dryer as it's running?:eek:

A local fitness center where I occasionally give presentations evidently has one. I think I'll give it a try next time I'm there to see what it feels like.

[Bas]

There are some decent outcomes in the short term after use of these units. And most of these studies suggest that it is a neuro-effect (wow).

However (and that is a BIG however), they have not been shown to work any better than the human "machine" itself, help in any problem situation, make life better for anyone, or fill a need. It is a new gadget - needing to take its place amongst the newest shiniest Cybex, Nautilus, XXX etc families of machines - for at least a year, before getting retired to the recycling depots. There they will be transformed randomly into working machines; they will be examined by marketing specialists with degrees in biomechanics or PT or kinesiology. They will find a "new" niche for the new unit, a funky name, get celebrities to come on board, shoot videos with a few "autoshow display" babes, and the cycle starts again.

Am I cranky about these things? Yes. I think they are a major waste of our finite resources and they test my patience; I now have another machine I need to answer questions about from my patients......

BTW, I like the dryer suggestion Cory....Multitasking is good. When you visit the gym vibration plate next time, bring the martini - shaken, not stirred...

[Diane]

Don't worry Bas, every so often these things surface on the beach of human endeavor, like so much flotsam and jetsam. It will likely end up in the Museum of Quackery (http://www.museumofquackery.com/welcome.htm) along with its predecessors, all the other vibrating health devices ever invented.

[pht3k]

i received this other gadget via email yesterday:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/exercise/water-resistance-treadmill-combines-running-swimming-and-hot-tubs-329293.php
youhou!

[Bas]

Funny how this is "new" - this has existed in equine therapies for a long time....

[nari]

It has also been in use for greyhounds and other dogs as well as horses, for years.

I do wonder about the hygeine issue. It's bad enough keeping things clean in a normal aquatic physiotherapy pool.

Nari

[Crazy Pole]

Diane:
It will likely end up in the Museum of Quackery along with its predecessors, all the other vibrating health devices ever invented.


LOL. Funny you should mention that museum. I actually took my (now) wife there on one of our early dates. We hooked up some electrical device to her head.

Since then, she stuck around for another four years before we got married and now we're happily married for two plus years.

How's that for anectdotal evidence?

Wes

[Mariette]

About these vibration gizmos: Ladies here go to Gym now twice per day and pay an extra fee to stand on these machines for 10 minutes. They leave without a drop of sweat anywhere to be seen. Ok, it does elevate your heartrate, but so does sitting in a meeting with a few people I know. How transferable is it to daily life except for perhaps balance? My mom is shortly turning 80 and walks bare feet in the garden and up and down slopes, her balance is fine. Yes, I would rather spend my time walking (or jogging) outside (or blogging on the beach, Nari?).
Surely, physical activity needs to be fun too, it needs to be part of life and not a seperate event that you need to dress for and drive somewhere to.
Mariette

[nari]

Mariette, so true. It is surprising how people will fork out money for technical gizmos because someone has told them they 'work'.

I know of a 68 yr old retired physio who goes to the gym three times a week; she is tired, has lost weight (and was below normal weight to begin with) but feels compelled to 'exercise' to prevent osteoporosis, and also because her doctor scared her silly with XRs of 'slightly porous bone'. I must admit I have never been near a gym; and have no intention of doing so; it is the world's most boring activity. But I am happy with a 14kg backpack, a cool day and a 6 hour walk.

Unfortunately, I don't live near a beach. The nearest is 2 hours drive away and not a good beach either. But if I did, I would blog on a beach. Perhaps....

Nari

[cedric]

sorry i arrive a bit latter..
i tried a powerplate last year.. very exhausting. But i have a lot of doubts about the future of our joints with those training. Also, it seems to me that tendinopathy may suffer from vibrations.
Also, the guy told me that astronauts were using powerplate for training. I reply that i've never seen a plate on a shuttle nor space station. At last, how could we practice in space without normal gravity? ;)

[TexasOrtho]

Call me when they come out with vibrating underwear.

Seriously, I have a good friend doing some interesting research at UHCL and UTMB on vibration platforms and bone mineral density. I haven't heard about his results yet, but I'll see if I can get him to pop in here and share his thoughts.

[TexasOrtho]

Funny. Just did a pub med search on his name and found the articles. Bill is the man.

Vibration exposure and biodynamic responses during whole-body vibration training (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17909407?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum)

Variation in neuromuscular responses during acute whole-body vibration exercise. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17805098?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum)

[Jon Newman]

I finally got to try one of these at a local sports store. Not for me.

But maybe these things will turn out to be super important. Someone let me know if that happens.

[larry7853]

For those who believe vibration training is new, Google Dr. J.H. Kellogg (he didn't just invent the cornflake), Dr. Snow (1912) who wrote a treatise on vibration therapy and proceed to Dr. Biermann, Dr. V. Nazarov in the 1960's and 70's.

Unfortunately, since vibration is the supposed "next great thing", many companies are producing cheap devices which will give the industry a bad name (there are currently170 commercially-available platforms). As always, there will be 3 or 4 companies who produce a quality product and they will remain standing over the next 3-5 years.

More and more research (of the good variety) will be published over the next couple of years, and evidence-based practice concerning vibration therapy will be more widely accepted. Be patient!:teeth:

[JasonE]

I use vibration training with some of my clients, but not with a piece of machinery. There are plenty of old vibration drills that use movement and breathing to effect various results. Among the results my clients have achieved: faster recovery from strenuous exercise, reduced incidence of sideaches in distance running, improved shoulder ROM, and so forth.

The vibration plates I see advertised seem to be based upon concepts that were being explored over a century ago. Nikola Tesla (inventor of radio, AC current, and other electrical power-related concepts/technologies) was playing around with vibration plates for medical purposes in the late 19th century. There's a great story of Samuel Clemens (AKA Mark Twain) losing control of his bowels on one of Tesla's plates, but I digress...

The soviet sports complex was also working with vibration plates and a great variety of traditional breathing and vibration drills throughout the 20th century. These concepts eventually filtered into the West over the last two decades. I've seen some interesting stuff on potential benefits of vibration plate training, but not enough to really understand how it works. Smaller devices such as the Powerball came out a while back and have really sought to capitalize on the idea that strength comes from resisting instability... altogether ignoring the potential downside of this form of training.

For now, I'm sticking to the simple vibration drills I've learned, which are NOT intended nor advertised as a ticket to strength development, but which offer other performance-enhancing benefits.