Recovery and regeneration after exercise of all types is currently gaining momentum in the fitness industry, and deservedly so. It can combat stress, improve mindset, increase mobility, and, of course, reduce the risk of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and injury.

Whole body vibration (WBV) training sits at the very top of the modalities that can boost the recovery process if used at the end of an exercise session.

After an intense workout, muscles and tissue fibres have a spike in acidity levels, which leads to a build up of hyaluronic acid in the muscles, causing DOMS. When a WBV training machine, such as Power Plate, is used post recovery, the vibrations created by the device help to massage the muscles and speed up the breakdown of hyaluronic acid. In doing so, muscles are likely to feel less sore after exercising.

WBV increases muscle stimulation, which resets the body’s preferred relaxed rhythm (known as parasympathetic tone). This stimulation benefits a number of internal body processes including blood flow, state of mind, cognitive performance, sleep management and post exercise recovery. In addition, the increase in blood flow brings much needed water, oxygen and nutrients to the body, while removing waste products. This ensures that acid levels are neutralised, permitting muscles to recover quicker, promoting relaxation and reducing the potential for injury.

As a physiotherapist I’ve found WBV to be an invaluable tool when it comes to muscle building and rehabilitation after injury or surgery. I also recommend it to patients who are serious about using a good quality platform to maintain or improve their fitness and overall health. However, the type of machine used is key to the effectiveness of WBV as a fitness and rehabilitation tool. Pivotal platforms with a see-saw movement that simulate the natural movement of the hips are a personal favourite. They’re also more comfortable than the vertical-motion platforms many gyms have. In addition, quality machines, such as a Hypervibe or a Galileo, are essential for effective WBV training as they can withstand the higher frequencies and G-forces required to get the muscles truly firing.

The big advantage of WBV as an exercise tool is that it offers a relatively quick but efficient low impact workout. For many older adults and/or people with certain health conditions, even walking can be too much of a challenge. At appropriate frequencies and power levels, WBV triggers 95 per cent of muscle fibres and even the simplest of sessions – just standing on the machine – will increase heart rate and blood circulation, which is, of course, the aim of a cardio workout.

It is well documented that cardiovascular (CV) disease arises from changes to the normal structure and function of artery walls – changes that usually occur over time. Such alterations include endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness, which both make it harder for blood to flow through the body as normal. While unhealthy lifestyle choices are widely recognised as triggers for these blood vessel changes, an additional (and common) cause is reduced muscular strength and mass, often due to vascular ageing or disease, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Vibration training can help to minimise this risk of CV disease as it creates an involuntary and immediate neuromuscular response, which in turn triggers muscle contraction. By stimulating muscle contractions, whole body vibration (WBV) training can not only help to prevent heart disease, it can also improve rehabilitation after CV events. The intensity and degree of muscle fibre recruitment that occurs during each neuromuscular response depends on the level of vibration frequency (Hz) and interval length (time).

While WBV training is considered a very efficient way of improving body composition and muscle strength, its impact on CV health is less often talked about. However, WBV can improve circulation and vasodilation, facilitating free blood flow to the heart and better distribution of nutrients and oxygen throughout the body. WBV also doesn’t require much movement, and so lends itself well to less mobile people, like the elderly and people recovering from injury.

The principle of vibration training is not only based on increased muscle acceleration during contraction, but also on muscle reflex. Tonic vibration reflex – the sustained contraction of a muscle subjected to vibration – can activate up to 95 per cent of a muscle’s potential instead of the 40 to 60 per cent muscle fibre recruitment seen with conventional fitness training. It’s this concept that allows WBV to deliver increases in strength and balance at a rate that’s simply not achievable with traditional training methods.

WBV devices, such as the VibroGym platform, vibrate 25 to 50 times per second, ensuring that targeted muscles are intensely stimulated. The involuntary contraction produced activates the body’s natural balance system, which, in turn, helps to improve overall balance and stability.

The ability of WBV to improve balance also relates to the establishment, correction and reinforcement of new motor patterns by vibration devices. In my experience, this can be particularly effective among individuals who have suffered a stroke, have MS or Parkinson’s disease. For the past three years I’ve been training a gentleman who suffered a frontal lobe stroke a year before coming to me. His condition left him unstable, very weak on one side and generally lacking balance. As such, his initial sessions were entirely seated and involved the placement of his feet on the machine for 10 seconds at a time. As a 30 second static squatting position on the VibroGym achieves the same degree of muscle activity as more than 30 conventional squats, over time we’ve been able to build up his leg muscles in a way that would not have been possible with conventional physio. While it’s been a slow process, vibration training has improved his strength, stability and confidence to the point that he’s now doing multiples of 45 second standing exercises. He has also reduced his medication and is enjoying improved overall wellbeing.