MORE THAN A WORKOUT: REDUCE YOUR PAIN

By: Lydia Dant, CPT, MPH

Many of you have seen first hand how Power Plate technology has decreased your aches and pains, sometimes after only a few sessions. Vibration is uniquely capable of resolving chronic, long lasting, or recurrent pain. 

How does Power Plate help REsolve pain?

Vibration loosens tendons

Your tendons are cartilage that connects your muscles to your bones (ligaments connect bone to bone). Tight tendons cause pain and prevent full range of motion for your muscles.

Power Plate delivers 1200 vibrations every 30 seconds through your whole body, including your tendons. These vibrations act to massage and loosen tight tendons. Just a few minutes a day is enough to receive the beneficial effects of vibration on your tendons. 

Vibration strengthens while it stretches

While stretching can help to loosen tight muscles, tendons, and ligaments, you will not see long term improvement unless you are also working to strengthen weak muscles. Why is this? Tightness often occurs to compensate for weakness. If we do not strengthen the proper muscles to keep proper alignment in your body, the tightness will often come back.

Vibration is simultaneously loosening fibers and strengthening muscles as your muscles fibers fire on in reaction to the vibration. Stronger muscles reduce chronic pain by keeping everything in proper alignment. 

Nerve stimulation rapidly reduces pain

Another benefit of vibration is the improved neuromuscular connections. With every vibration, your brain is communicating with your muscles to fire on and off via nerve pathways. Nerves are also the pathway for communicating pain signals. With over 1200 signals every 30 seconds, the neural pathway is saturated, and the pain signals are overwhelmed. This provides quick pain relief. 

Power Plate helps to “turn on” inactive muscles

With improved neuromuscular connection comes improved muscle activation and better brain-muscle communication. Did you know that in the first 3 months of strength training, strength gains come almost completely from improved coordination of your muscle fibers, rather than increasing the size or number of fibers? Vibration can stimulate inactive muscles and get them working again. 

When all your muscles are “turned on” and strong, your tendons are loosened, and your brain is communicating effectively with your muscles, you have built a long lasting environment for reduced pain. 

[adapted from Power Plate: How Does Power Plate help unlock whole body pain]

BEMER PLUS POWER PLATE: A DOUBLE DOSE OF PAIN REDUCTION

Now add the Bemer to your routine and you’ve got an even more powerful force against pain!

Several studies have shown that PEMF therapy (Bemer) can reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) after exercise (1), back pain (2), knee osteoarthritis pain (3), and pain from fibromyalgia (4), to name a few. 

How does the Bemer reduce pain?

Dr. Pawluk, a board certified physician from Johns Hopkins University published an overview of how PEMF Therapy (Bemer) can reduce pain. He explains there are both direct and indirect effects of PEMF therapy on pain. “Direct effects of magnetic fields are: neuron firing, calcium ion movement, membrane potentials, endorphin levels, nitric oxide, dopamine levels, acupuncture actions and nerve regeneration. Indirect benefits of magnetic fields on physiologic function are on: circulation, muscle, edema, tissue oxygen, inflammation, healing, prostaglandins, cellular metabolism and cell energy levels. (5)” He further explains that chronic pain can both cause and result from decreased circulation (5). We know that Bemer improves circulation (6). 

Contact us today to find out how we can help you toward a more pain free life!

References:

1. Jeon HS, Kang SY, Park JH, Lee HS. Effects of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy on delayed-onset muscle soreness in biceps brachii. Phys Ther Sport. 2015 Feb;16(1):34-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2014.02.006. Epub 2014 Mar 7. PMID: 24906295.

2. Renato Andrade, Hugo Duarte, Rogério Pereira, Isabel Lopes, Hélder Pereira, Rui Rocha, João Espregueira-Mendes, Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy effectiveness in low back pain: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials, Porto Biomedical Journal, Volume 1, Issue 5, 2016, Pages 156-163, ISSN 2444-8664, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbj.2016.09.001. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2444866416300514)

3. Nelson, F.R., Zvirbulis, R. & Pilla, A.A. Non-invasive electromagnetic field therapy produces rapid and substantial pain reduction in early knee osteoarthritis: a randomized double-blind pilot study. Rheumatol Int 33, 2169–2173 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-012-2366-8

4. Sutbeyaz, Serap Tomruk MD; Sezer, Nebahat MD; Koseoglu, Fusun MD; Kibar, Sibel MD. Low-frequency Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy in Fibromyalgia: A Randomized, Double-blind, Sham-controlled Clinical Study. The Clinical Journal of Pain 25(8):p 722-728, October 2009. | DOI: 10.1097/AJP.0b013e3181a68a6c

5. Pawluk, William. "Pain management with pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) treatment." Am Pain Soc. Vol. 20. 2003.

6. Guseo, A. Physiological effects of pulsing electromagnetic field. European Bioelectromagnetics Association (EBEA), 1st Congress, Brussels, Belgium, January,1992.