Vibration Plate for Lymphatic Drainage: A Deep Dive

Medically reviewed by: David M. Joyner, MD, FACS

Your lymphatic system is a crucial internal network that keeps you safe from infections, viruses, and parasites by balancing the fluids within the human body. When fluids build up, the lymphatic system flushes them out—but occasional backups are possible. When this happens, modalities that promote lymphatic drainage can be especially beneficial. 

Various methods can help detoxify the lymphatic system, such as massages. However, one especially promising treatment benefits your entire body while helping to restore lymphatic balance—vibration plate training.  

Let’s break down everything you need to know about using a vibration plate for lymphatic drainage.

Introduction to Vibration Training and Lymphatic Drainage

How is it that a vibration plate benefits lymphatic drainage? The key to understanding this form of exercise’s unique advantages for the lymphatic system lies in understanding how vibration training and lymphatic drainage work.

What is Vibration Training?

What is a vibration plate? A vibration plate is a health, wellness and fitness machine with a platform on which you can stand or perform exercises. The platform can have any one of several vibrational movement patterns—some vibrate in one direction, such as up and down, while others vibrate diagonally, laterally and horizontally. In some cases, the vibration plate might have a column with handles for support and stability while performing exercises. 

In whole body vibration training, the machine sends tiny, rapid vibrations through the body. As your body naturally reacts to these vibrations, your muscles engage, making quick repeated contractions to keep you balanced and stable on the platform.  Much of this happens without you being acutely aware of how much effort your body is making.

All kinds of exercises can work on a vibration plate, and there are many benefits to whole body vibration training outside of muscle activation. The most advanced vibration plates can help burn calories more efficiently, improve circulation throughout the body, increase bone density, and of course, facilitate lymphatic drainage.

Why is Lymphatic Drainage Important?

When lymphatic fluid cannot drain properly back into the body’s natural channels, that fluid has nowhere to go—often resulting in lymphedema, which refers to the swelling of the arms and legs from the buildup of excess lymphatic fluid.

Lymphedema can cause pain in the affected area and the skin feeling tight or stiff. Aching, tingling, and numbness are also possible symptoms. Finding a means to drain the excess lymph fluid is crucial to alleviating the symptoms of lymphedema and keeping the lymphatic system in good working order.

But what exactly is the lymphatic system responsible for in the body, and what kind of effects can it have on the body if the lymphatic drainage can’t occur properly? 

The Lymphatic System: A Brief Overview

To better understand lymphatic drainage, let’s take a closer look at what the lymphatic system does for the body.

When your blood travels through your body, a resource called plasma—the liquid part of your blood—is absorbed by your capillaries and organs and then expunged back into your bloodstream. Frequently, more fluid circulates than is needed by the capillaries  in order to function, and this excess waste fluid is called lymph. The lymphatic system consists of capillaries, vessels, and tissues that absorb the lymph and adequately dispose of it back into the bloodstream.

You can think of your lymphatic system as a sewer system—it disposes of the waste to keep the city (your body) clean and functional. When a sewer backs up, the city suffers for it, and the same is true for your body when your lymphatic system can’t flush away all of the lymph fluid efficiently. 

Healthy Functions of the Lymphatic System

While the lymphatic system is in good working order, your body benefits in the following ways:

• Protection against harmful invaders – As a part of your immune system, the lymphatic system produces and distributes immune cells that seek out and destroy potentially harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Lymphatic system organs include your thymus, bone marrow, and lymph nodes.
  
  
• Fat absorption – The lymphatic system plays a role in absorbing fat-soluble vitamins and fatty substances in the gut and transporting them back into the venous circulation. This process is essential for removing fats and molecules too large to travel through capillary walls—if your body can’t use the nutrients, this prevents clogs in the system.

• Filtration and drainage of excess fluid – As mentioned above, the lymphatic system's primary function is to balance a healthy amount of fluid throughout the body by draining excess lymph back into the bloodstream. However, the added benefit to this function is the filtering out of abnormal cells and waste products from this fluid.

When the lymphatic system is damaged or affected by a condition, it can result in lymphedema, swollen lymph nodes, and cancers of the lymphatic system. Lymphoma, cancer of the lymph nodes, can occur when the lymphocytes (white blood cells) multiply and grow uncontrollably.

How to Ensure Healthy Lymphatic Drainage: Conventional Methods

Traditionally, the following prescriptive advice is recommended to keep the lymphatic system healthy: 

• Drink water – Proper hydration allows lymph to move freely throughout the body.

• Proper exercise and diet – Regular exercise and a healthy diet can positively impact your overall health and should be a priority. 

• Avoid toxic chemicals – Chemical exposure from toxins in pesticides, cleaning products, and other sources can build up in your system and clog up your body’s natural waste filtration. 

To boost your lymphatic system function even further, whole body vibration training can bolster lymphatic drainage as well as promote physical activity and muscle strength.

How Vibration Training Enhances Lymphatic Drainage

A preliminary study on the effects of vibration training on the microcirculation of laboratory animals found promising results connecting whole body vibration with healthy lymphatic system function.

According to the research, the applied vibrations stimulated lymphatic vessels in laboratory animal subjects and had positive effects on the superficial lymphatic system—suggesting a bright future for vibration training as a potential means of intervention in certain human lymphatic system disease processes.

This is because whole body vibration helps facilitate healthy blood circulation, indirectly supporting lymphatic system function. Similar findings from a 2008 study on skin blood circulation support this, where even short-duration vibration training resulted in a significant increase in skin blood flow. Higher-frequency vibrations (50 Hz) were particularly effective at increasing skin blood flow.

To improve your body’s circulation and lymphatic recycling processes, trust the best in whole body vibration technology, while also receiving additional benefits to your health and wellness. 

The Science Behind Power Plate’s Vibration Technology

The potential for aiding lymphatic drainage is just one of several benefits of Power Plate’s proprietary vibration technology, PrecisionWave™ Technology.

Power Plate utilizes a tri-planar vibration pattern—precise, controlled movement in three dimensions—to stimulate the whole body efficiently and effectively. Power Plate’s vibrations are carefully engineered to the optimal frequency to pair with the multi-directional movement of the vibrating platform, resulting in an exercise solution that’s safe and easy to use yet powerful in its results.

In addition to improving your body’s circulation and lymphatic operations, Power Plate’s unique additional benefits include:

• Muscle recovery and pain relief
• Increasing bone density
• Burning more calories
• Activation of more muscle fibers

Here are some tailored tips to help you achieve optimal lymphatic drainage results with the help of Power Plate.

Tips for Using Power Plate for Lymphatic Drainage

Regular massage on a Power Plate or the use of a power massage gun can help improve your local circulation and lymphatic function right from the comfort of your home. In fact, short massage intervention can improve skin blood flow, reduce the risk of dysfunction and pain, and improve skin quality and tone. With Power Plate, you have the ability to target specific areas of the body to take a customized approach to your wellness.

To improve the circulation in your legs, for example, lie down with your calves elevated on the Power Plate’s surface. To target your arms instead, get into an all-fours position next to the Power Plate and lay one of your arms on the surface while supporting yourself with the other arm—then repeat for the other side. Only short sessions are needed to achieve results: three minutes of massage on the Power Plate can improve skin blood flow for at least 10 minutes after treatment.

Check out this video from Power Plate’s exercise database for a routine specifically targeted to the lymph system.

Embrace a Healthier Lifestyle with Power Plate

For the healthier life you deserve _ Power Plate is your secret weapon, optimizing your circulation, losing weight, and becoming stronger and fitter overall. 

When it comes to whole body vibration training, choose the method that professional athletes, doctors, therapists, olympians, and celebrities rely on for real results. If you live an active lifestyle, enhance your fitness routine with the additional benefits vibration training offers—like up to 50% more calories burned and up to 138% more muscle activation than a standard workout.

Power Plate’s collection of whole body vibration plates and percussion massagers makes it possible to improve all aspects of your health without the need for a gym membership, a spa, or a fitness class. Power Plate’s solutions are portable yet powerful, perfect for home use without being obnoxiously noisy or disruptive to family members.

Take advantage of the best in vibration training engineering by getting your own Power Plate today and experience a healthier, safer, easier way to achieve the desired fitness results.

Sources: 

American Cancer Society. What Is Lymphedema?. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/side-effects/swelling/lymphedema/what-is-lymphedema.html

Cleveland Clinic. Lymphatic System. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21199-lymphatic-system

National Library of Medicine. Anatomy, Lymphatic System. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513247/

National Library of Medicine. Effects of Multidirectional Vibrations Delivered in a Horizontal Position (Andullation®) on Blood Microcirculation in Laboratory Animals: A Preliminary Study. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5077302/

PubMed. The effect of whole body vibration on lower extremity skin blood flow in normal subjects. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17261985/

Power Plate. Regular Massage on a Power Plate® Machine Can Help Improve Circulation. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0362/1139/2645/files/regular-massage-on-a-power-plate-machine-can-help-improve-circulation-en-us.pdf?v=1586157199

ScienceDaily. Vibration Plate Machines May Aid Weight Loss And Trim Abdominal Fat. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090508045323.htm

The American Chiropractor. Whole Body Vibration: An Alternative Treatment for Chronic Low-Back Pain. http://bstrong4life.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAMMISA_TAC_Vol35No01.pdf