Everything You Need to Know About Vibration Therapy for Osteoporosis

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

Do your bones feel sore and achy even without doing anything strenuous? Are you more susceptible to fractures than ever before? Maybe you’ve found yourself worrying excessively about falling, afraid that one tumble could send you straight to the hospital.

If so, you might suffer from osteoporosis. This common bone disease can wreak havoc on your mobility and quality of life, leaving you feeling especially fragile and unable to perform activities you used to. 

But living with osteoporosis doesn’t have to limit your abilities—you don’t have to accept this fate without a fight. In fact, simple vibration therapy may be able to help you build your bone density back up. 

Understanding Osteoporosis

Time wears on every part of us, and our bones are no exception. As your age climbs, you can expect your bone density to drop. The result is bones that may snap under the slightest strain, causing your risk of fractures and breaks to skyrocket. 

In severe cases, fractures may even occur from an act as simple as bending down.

Who Is Susceptible To Osteoporosis?

Anyone can suffer from this disease, but you may have an elevated risk if any of the following applies to you:

• You live a risky lifestyle – Consumers of tobacco and alcohol (more than two drinks per day) are more likely to develop osteoporosis, along with people who lead sedentary lives.

• You have pre-existing medical conditions – Unsurprisingly, if you have one health issue, it can exacerbate others. For this reason, you may be at a higher risk of osteoporosis if you have multiple myeloma, rheumatoid arthritis, Celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, and kidney or liver disease.

• You take certain medications or eat a low-calcium diet – Certain medicines, especially steroids, can eat away at the calcium in your body and slow bone growth. If your diet is low in calcium, this may also contribute.

• You’re in an older age range – Unfortunately, some risk factors are well outside of your control. Post-menopausal white and Asian women have the highest risk of developing osteoporosis due to their hormone levels and genetic ancestry. Family history and even having a small frame can also elevate your risk.

The Science Behind Vibration Therapy

So, what does vibration therapy have to do with osteoporosis? As it turns out, quite a lot. 

When astronauts in space discovered that they were losing 1 to 2 percent of their bone mass per month, they used vibration plates to gain it back. In fact, they learned that standing on a mildly vibrating plate for 10 to 20 minutes a day regained that mass.

Now you might be asking, how does vibration therapy work? 

As you stand on the vibrating platform, energy from the vibration transfers into your body. In response to the energy, your muscles relax and contract at a fast rate—think dozens of times per second. This improves muscle strength and flexibility, aids in circulation, and helps build dense bones.

In an independent study of 116 women, the group using a Power Plate vibration plate saw a 4.3% increase in bone mineral density while the group that did not use Power Plate lost 1.9% in bone mineral density.4

Vibration plate osteoporosis tools combat the bone weakness that occurs when new bone can’t replace old bone fast enough. Merely standing on a vibrating plate has restorative effects on the body, and stunning results may follow when combined with mild to moderate physical exercise.

Not only does whole body vibration therapy help combat bone density, there are many other benefits to using a vibration plate. This includes quicker weight loss, more effective strength training, increased flexibility, and tighter skin.

Power Plate: Leading the Way in Vibration Therapy

Vibration therapy for osteoporosis is beneficial for those suffering from severe bone weakness because it doesn’t require typical manual exercise. 

To that end, Power Plate has designed sleek, commercial-grade vibration machines to help you get what you need out of your vibration therapy. This can include:

• More control over vibration frequency and intensity
• Platforms that allow for different positions when in use, i.e. sitting or standing
• Safety and stability features
  

Power Plate also has tools like the vibrating massage ball and the vibrating back roller which is often used for alleviating back discomfort. Physical therapy isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, so it makes sense for your tools to have room for customization.

Build Stronger Bones with Power Plate

No one wants to live in fear over the potential havoc that one fall could wreak or suffer from daily aches and pains. That’s often the reality that many older individuals face. But luckily, it doesn’t have to be.

Vibration therapy is an excellent way to turn back the clock on your aging bones if you’re suffering from osteoporosis—or if you just want to increase bone density in general.

Power Plate’s products are designed with PrecisionWave Technology that can enhance your quality of life no matter where you are on your journey. Whether you’re just starting out and want to try something gentle, or you’re a seasoned vibration therapy veteran looking for gold-standard equipment, we have the tools you need to optimize your total body health.

Start by exploring our collection of innovative, science-backed whole body vibration plates today. 

Sources: 

Mayo Clinic. Osteoporosis. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/osteoporosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351968

National Library of Medicine. Clinical applications of vibration therapy in orthopaedic practice. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4915454/

National Library of Medicine. Whole-body vibration exercise in postmenopausal osteoporosis. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4440196/