How to design exercise sessions with whole-body vibration platforms

Abstract

Apart from the local targets of vibration, the combination of WBV with other types of exercise or with conventional physiotherapy is used in many clinical settings. For the combined use, three settings are vital: Frequency, amplitude and posture. In this chapter, the key concepts for the selection of these parameters are summarized. First, the goal and/or region of training has to be defined: WBV can be either applied in preparation of physiotherapy or exercise session for muscular warm-up, to pre-condition spinal and supra-spinal arousal, or to modulate muscle tone. But it can also be applied in conjunction with physiotherapy or exercise, in order to combine the effects or parallel to exercises. The importance of frequency and amplitude in the context of other chapters is described and that changing the posture on a WBV platform has profound effects on how the vibration gets transmitted in the body. It is highlighted that avoiding damage should be of high priority and local responses should be verified, such as contractions and heating of the targeted muscles.