Whole Body Vibration Therapy for Fitness & Health

In the 1970’s the Russian space program found it difficult for their cosmonauts to maintain normal body strength in zero gravity state of outer space. Without gravity, conventional exercise was out of the question. This caused weakness in muscles throughout the body including heart muscle and dramatic decrease of bone density. Vibration Therapy was developed with clinical test showing that vibrating the whole body caused muscle fibers to contract and release in a millisecond. Vibration Therapy enhanced muscle and bone circulation, boosting the supply of nutrients to these tissues.

Years ago the Soviet Union, the leader in the space program at that time, applied whole body vibration (or WBV) to their cosmonauts. The results were astonishing, as the Russian cosmonauts could remain in space for about 420 days, where as American astronauts without whole body vibration would need to return home after only 120 days.

Then the Soviet Union utilized whole body vibration for muscle strengthening of their athletes and thereby enhancing the performance of their Olympic athletes, achieving breakthrough records in numerous Olympic games.

After seeing the benefits that Whole Body Vibration provided, other sports teams of various European countries began using whole body vibration therapy. They experienced remarkable enhancements of muscle strength, endurance, balance and coordination, bone mineral density improvements, increased energy and stamina, fat loss, improvement of circulation and lymphatic system and pain relief with amazing results. This training provides efficient conditioning with less effort and time as compared to conventional exercise or gym workouts.

With the documented success of whole body vibration in Europe, the United States now uses whole body vibration in many of its rehabilitation clinics (see Mayo Clinic article), athletic training centers, doctors’ and chiropractic offices. Whole body vibration training has also become extremely popular for home and office use as it saves time traveling to and from the gym while you enjoy it’s therapeutic effects at home.

How does vibration therapy work?

You stand on the platform while it oscillates up and down a barely noticeable amount. Both the size and speed of the vibration, about 30 cycles per second, are set to match the natural stimulation that occurs as your muscles relax and contract to maintain your posture.

How vibration therapy promotes bone density isn’t well understood, but researchers have suggested several possible explanations. Vibra Therapy enhances muscle and bone circulation, boosting the supply of nutrients to these tissues. Research suggests that vibration may also counter an age-related change in bone marrow. Marrow contains certain stem cells that may be converted into bone-building cells (osteoblasts), fat cells, or other cell types, depending on the signals they receive. Laboratory experiments at the University of North Carolina have shown that these stem cells are more likely to become osteoblasts (and less likely to turn into fat cells) when exposed to low-intensity vibration.

Customers enjoy the convenience and privacy of having one of Vibra Therapy platform machines in their home and at their office to use throughout their work day.

Denas Pain Relief Store goes beyond the existing market with affordable, stylish, compact and powerful vibration platform machines utilizing advanced vibration technology.

Pivotal vs. Lineal Vibration

Pivotal Vibration

This is when the platform tilts around a central pivotal point like a seesaw. The left and right sides alternate up and down while the center does not move.

You can change the amplitude of the platform simply by moving your feet closer or further away from the center. Our high quality pivotal machines have desired total peak-to-peak amplitude of 10mm at the platform’s widest position. German-made pivotal vibration machines were the first to be used commercially and to be validated scientifically. OurVibra-Therapy machines are fashioned after this German technology.

Lineal Vibration

Then in an attempt to compete with the successful German vibration machines, a Dutch company created a vibration platform with a new kind of platform movement called Lineal.

A lineal vibration platform remains horizontal at all times as the entire platform moves in equal distance up and down. Lineal vibration platforms typically have very small peak-to-peak amplitudes ranging only from 1 to 5mm.

In the early days of vibration therapy and fitness, the mechanics of how whole body vibration worked was largely unknown. Lineal vibration machines soon joined pivotal vibration machines in scientific experiments aiming at uncovering what was causing the benefits for why pivotal vibration had already become famous.

Pivotal vibration machines have maintain a prominence in research, and have shown more clinically research proven benefits than lineal vibration machines.

A major limitation of lineal vibration platforms is that they move the whole body up and down including the head. A pivotal platform, on the other hand, lifts one leg at a time. As one leg goes up the pelvis tilts and the other leg goes down. This side-to-side rocking of the pelvis and lumbar spine causes most of the vibration energy to be absorbed by the time it reaches the rib cage that keeps any head movement to a minimum.

The alternating tilting of the pelvis in pivotal vibration is the same natural movement that occurs during walking. It prevents vertebra from being compressed. Those with bad backs and necks or prone to headaches should be cautious when using a lineal whole body vibration machine.

Pivotal or Lineal, which one should you choose?

Nasa put both platforms to a test: which produced greater muscle activity?

In a 2006 study conducted by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) a leading lineal and leading pivotal machine were both used in the same muscle performance experiment and the results of each were compared.

According to the researchers, the conditions for each platform were the same:

• same frequency (30Hz)
• same amplitude (4mm
• same test subjects
• same exercises

The result: “muscle responses were significantly greater during pivotal (rotational) vibration than lineal (vertical) vibration.”

A reason for lineal vibration’s poor performance in some of the lineal scientific research is explained by understanding another limitation of lineal machines: their inability to use high vibration amplitudes resulting in low acceleration.

Another possible explanation comes from research conducted at the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health, Massey University, New Zealand in 2006. It was proven that even at low output (6Hz 3mm peak-to-peak amplitude) pivotal whole body vibration exercise causes stretching of the muscle that is associated with an immediate increase in electrical muscle activity.

To date this effect has not been demonstrated with lineal whole body vibration exercise.

In summary:

So as far as which vibration is better for you, you need to determine whether you want to focus on massage and therapy for your legs, then you should consider lineal vibration.

If you have neck pain or are prone to headaches, then lineal vibration is NOT for you.

However, if you have foot or leg problems, and need therapy, lineal vibration machines would be a good choice for you.

Our Dual Motor Model has both lineal and pivotal vibration and the motors can run simultaneously or separately in manual or aerobic preset training programs

On the other hand, if you are looking for whole body fitness and therapy in one machine, then you should consider purchasing one of our pivotal whole body vibration platform machines.

Below are our most popular pivotal machines: