Vibration machines are small platforms with handrails provided for safety. When activated, the platform vibrates up and down or side to side at user controlled speeds. Users standing on the platform keep their balance by adjusting their muscles. Several studies conducted in Belgium demonstrate that vibration training is beneficial, resulting in improved strength, bone mineral density, mobility and balance.
Strength
A 2003 study published in the journal "Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise" found that whole-body vibration training can result in strength gains similar to that experienced in resistance, or weight-lifting, training. Sixty-seven Belgian women participated in the study over 12 weeks, with 18 selected as the whole-body vibration dynamic knee-extensor exercise group, 19 women remaining stationary on the vibration machine, 18 performing resistance training, and 12 women functioning as the control group and performing no exercise. The study's results were published in the journal "Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise" in 2003.
Bone Density
Vibration training has the potential to increase bone mineral density in the hips of postmenopausal women, which is positive news for people who risk developing osteoporosis. Seventy women took part in a six-month study conducted by the Department of Kinesiology at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium to determine whole-body vibration's impact on hip bone mineral density. Results were published in 2004 in the "Journal of Bone and Mineral Research".
The women ranged in age from 58 to 74 years. Twenty-five women trained on the vibration machine, 22 performed resistance training and 23 performed no training, acting as the control group. Results demonstrated that vibration training improved both muscle strength and bone density, as compared to resistance training, which improved strength only.
Improved Mobility
In elderly, institutionalized patients, vibration machine exercises improve mobility and a willingness to engage in the exercise. While resistance training also improves mobility, weight-lifting can cause fatigue and a lack of interest in performing the amount of exercise required to see benefits. A 2005 study published in the journal "BMC Geriatrics" tested the change in mobility and balance for 24 nursing home residents in Brussels, Belgium, aged 66 to 88. Thirteen performed isometric, or static, vibration machine exercise and 11 residents performed isometric exercise only for six weeks. Residents who exercised on the vibration machine demonstrated significant improvements in mobility compared to those who performed isometric exercise only.
Balance
A 2007 study published in the journal "Gait & Posture" described a 12-month trial of vibration machine exercises on the posture and balance of seniors living independently in Belgium, aged 60 to 80 years. Two-hundred-twenty people participated, with 94 performing exercises on a vibration platform, 60 performing cardio and strength training, and 66 people performing no exercise. Vibration machine training included exercising on one leg, exercising without using the handrail, and closing the eyes while exercising. Both the vibration group and the cardio and strength group demonstrated improved posture and balance; however, a greater improvement was noted in the vibration group.
References
- National Institutes of Health: Strength Increase after Whole-Body Vibration vs. Resistance Training
- National Institutes of Health: Whole Body Vibration Training in Postmenopausal Women
- BMC Geriatrics: Whole Body Vibration in Institutionalized Elderly Persons
- Gait & Posture: Effects of Whole Body Vibration Training on Postural Control in Older Individuals
Member Comments