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Vibration Therapy for Health Promotion
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.105024

Figure 6.
Vibrating platforms and oscillation of their bases.

platform is called a synchronous vertical type of platform. This vertical displace-
ment can also be a result of the base displacement in three planes. In this case, the
platform is named the triplane vertical platform [8, 12].
It is easy to verify that, associated with the mechanical vibration, a force is
generated, which is responsible for the displacement of the base of the vibrating
platform, and it is transmitted to the person’s body. This force arises from the action
of the acceleration imposed by the vibrating platform on the body, which has a
certain mass [8, 12, 16].

3.2 Local vibration therapy

Local vibration therapy could be an alternative form of vibration training
for individuals that are unable to perform systemic vibration therapy. The main
interest of Local vibration therapy compared to Systemic vibration therapy is
that it does not necessarily require any active contribution from the participant.
Local vibration therapy is not an entirely novel concept and in fact, it has been
used for a long time in the field of neuroscience. Indeed, Local vibration ther-
apy applied to the tendon can induce several physiological effects such as a tonic
vibration reflex or muscle movement illusion depending on the experimental
setup [10, 20, 21].

3.3 Systemic vibration therapy

In Systemic vibration therapy, the mechanical vibration produced on the
vibrating platform is transmitted to the person generating an exercise throughout
the whole body of the individual, the whole-body vibration exercise. Typically, the
person has their feet positioned on the base of the vibrating platform, being in an
orthostatic position with knees bent or sitting in an ancillary chair positioned in
front of the platform [8].
There is a scientific evidence that Systemic vibration therapy can (i) improve
muscle strength and potency, sleep quality, peripheral blood circulation, flexibility,
functionality, balance, postural control, and quality of life; (ii) reduce pain, muscle
fatigue, the risk of falling, and (iii) increase muscle fiber recruitment and bone
mineral density [8, 12, 16, 22].

4. Conclusion

In this chapter, we discussed the use of mechanical vibration as an intervention
aimed to improve and optimize daily life. This vibration therapy can be used as a

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