Vibration Plate

Mode of action

Muscles play a central role in a healthy and efficient organism. It is also crucial for healthy joints and bones. If you take these facts and combine them with the fact that most people with spinal cord injuries have much weaker muscles in certain or even many muscle groups than people without spinal cord injuries, you quickly come to the conclusion that any strengthening of the remaining muscles makes sense and is even absolutely necessary.

Vibration plate training can offer an easy-to-implement and medically effective method that can positively support the rehabilitation process in addition to activity-based therapy (ABT) and traditional physiotherapy.

Due to the high number of repetitions in a short period of time, training using a vibration plate can help to significantly increase the efficiency of the therapy. Neurological activity in the central nervous system (CNS) is increased with the support of vibration plate training and can therefore help to form new connections in the spinal cord and/or use existing ones more efficiently.

Technology

Physiological process

The musculature is embedded in a complex control circuit, consisting of:

Brain (central nervous system)
Spinal cord (central nervous system)
Peripheral nervous system
Ligaments and tendons
Bones and joints

Vibration plate training uses the stretch reflex - The stretch reflex is a natural protective mechanism of the body. If a muscle is stretched within a very short time, it contracts automatically as an immediate response to the stretch. Voluntary access to the muscles is not necessary for this. Put simply, the muscles contract (tense) on their own due to the stretch reflex triggered by the vibration plate and thus stimulate the central nervous system (CNS). This leads to increased activity and thus helps to achieve a better training effect in terms of neuroplasticity.

Vibration plate_Equipment_002_AdobeStock_584222101

Positive effects on the organism:

Increased metabolism
Increased blood circulation
Increased neurological activity due to increased sensory and motor input
Can reduce spasticity

Frequency ranges

To enable this stretch reflex, a frequency range between 10 Hz and a maximum of 33 Hz should be used. Frequencies below 10 Hz do not trigger any significant stretch reflex, frequencies above 33 Hz are only used in specific areas and make little sense for ABT training (Activity Based Therapy) according to current knowledge. [1]

Training

In principle, training with vibration plates can be used to activate the central nervous system (CNS) before training (warm-up), but also during training to support various exercises. So if you are doing ABT, a vibration plate can help you achieve better results.

There are a variety of products available, which are extremely difficult to compare. A vibration plate can cost anywhere from 100 euros, dollars, CHF to several thousand euros, dollars, CHF. In our experience, very good devices that have a demonstrably good effect cost 3000-4000 euros, dollars, CHF. Basically, however, it is better to have a cheap vibration plate than no vibration plate at all. If you can't afford one privately or don't want one, at least make sure that your external training facility has an appropriate high-quality device to support you in your training.

A major advantage of vibration plate training is the short training time. Thanks to the high frequency of up to 33 movements per second, the effect can be seen after just 10-12 minutes of training (2-3 times a week). [2]

Clinical studies

Useful links

Galileo Training

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Robotics

Citation Source Information

[1] User Manual Galileo P25

[2] Allemann Urs, 2023