This short blog’s title says it all – using a vibration machine improves balance. Let’s look at where that’s helpful
For the older adult exercise improves balance and stability and so lessens the risk of falling over. This is something that its hard to even visualise when we are younger and rushing here and there with no thought of our legs not holding us up but its a fact of aging that people lose some of that ability to balance.
There are several reasons for this; one is proprioception - the awareness of where one’s limbs are in relation to 3-D space. Our brain and our body responds to the surfaces and even the air around us and when we are standing or walking keeps us balanced and not leaning too far forward, back, sideways or toppling over. The brain responds and controls part of this and there’s also our kinesthetic sense which also involves reflexes, muscle memory and hand/eye coordination.
A second reason is that muscles can become rigid as a person ages and less able to respond rapidly to changes in environment. Exercise helps them stay flexible. There is also movement of joints, range of motion, and agility; all of which deteriorate somewhat as we age.
This all sounds quite negative but there is a lot we can do to improve balance and coordination in older people or better still, to prevent some of the decline in the first place.
Exercise!
Of course this has to be easily available, not too demanding (although it has to push the person as that’s how we adapt), and suited to the abilities of the individual. Older people are greatly encouraged to take walks and to engage in a resistance training program (weights) maybe at their local fitness centre. How much physical exercise a person can do depends on how low or high their risk of falling is, on their general health and fitness level, and also on personal preferences.
This is where Vibration Training is like a “wonder drug”. It improves balance effectively and stabilises and strengthens the muscles supporting the joints. It has a positive effect on mind/body communication along with improving circulation and decreasing pain. The greatest thing, in my opinion and experience, is that almost everyone can participate. There’s supervised training and/or therapy available in Vibration Training studios in some countries and there’s home machines of varying types and intensit available worldwide.
Both pivotal (see-saw motion) and lineal (upright movement) machines are effective for improving balance. There may be reasons of availability, injury, general health or preference to choose one type over the other.
More information is available at www.vibration-training-advice.com where there is also a forum for asking specific questions after reading the articles.
and injuries a person might have while still allowing advanced users to “go harder”. There’s four varying levels of the “Bullet” (Vibra-Train’s lineal vibration machine) in the studio I’m working in plus there’s the “Vibra” machines with side vibrating handlebars that are used both for extension work and for simpler, greater support for those who are less able or have injuries.
tude are a lot of fun for the trainers – it can take just 60 seconds to change their mind and by the end of a 8-10 minute session they leave exhausted. Of course we have to be careful not to injure the male’s fragile ego by making the session too hard while their female friend just gets on with it without complaint but we do make sure they leave suitably impressed.
hold the squat positions but they fail in the upper body work. Vibration Training on high-force lineal machines such as the Vibra-Train or Vibro-Gym helps to even out their training and give them overall fitness.
