A chiropractor friend of ours recently sent us a link to a new study published in The Spine Journal (the official journal of the North American Spine Society), that shows improved outcomes for patients with neck pain when applying whole body vibration therapy.
While these results are in the early stages of a body of research that needs to be done on the efficacy of WBV and neck pain, they do show an improvement for those dealing with chronic neck pain.
The Study
Admittedly, the patient sample for this study is small (13 neck pain patients and 10 healthy controls) and much more research and study will need to be done to have any definitive findings, this initial research is proving encouraging as it is the first study of its kind showing “improved motor performance after neck muscle vibration in patients with neck pain.” Leading the study’s authors to surmise that “vibration may be used to counteract sensorimotor impairment of the cervical spine.”
All of which matches up with our anecdotal experiences here at the studio. We find that WBV works to help realign structures, release tight muscles, and helps relieve pain.
Of the 23 participants (13 with neck pain and 10 without) all were subjected to short-term, targeted neck muscle vibration with 100 Hz, after an initial baseline measurement. They were then measured for cervical joint position sense and dynamic and static postural stability.
Outcomes
The results of the study showed that vibration had opposite effects in neck pain patients than it had in healthy subjects. Neck pain patients showed improved joint position sense (p<.01) or body awareness and reduced dynamic postural sway (p<.05) better stability and less sway when standing still after vibration. The interesting thing about this study is that in healthy individuals (participants not experiencing neck pain) vibration resulted in reduced joint position sense acuity (p<.05) or decreased body awareness and a slight increase in postural sway.
While these findings are minor, it may mean that if you have neck pain or issues WBV may be able to help you shake it all back in place, improving balance, stability and body awareness. For those with healthy, pain-free bodies, it may be wise to use WBV conservatively, in conjunction with a regular exercise program, to ensure continued stability.
If you’d like to try whole body vibration for yourself, come in today and try it for FREE!
