Reducing you Fall Risk with Power Plate
Written By: Lydia Dant, BS Exercise Science, Masters in Public Health, Certified Personal Trainer
At Fit For You, we are always keeping up with the latest research on Power Plate, health, and fitness to bring you the best program we can. Many people are new to Power Plate and are not familiar with the extensive research that has been done on its risks and benefits. Here is one example: exercising on the power plate can reduce your fall risk.
Harold Merriman, a physical therapist at University of Dayton, reviewed over 196 studies on whole body vibration (i.e. Power Plate) and rated studies based on the strength of their research (1). There were 13 different studies that looked at the effects of Power Plate on older adults in regard to bone density, balance, and muscle performance. Let’s look at two of those studies now.
Reduce your fall risk with Power Plate.
Just 3 minutes a day on Power Plate reduced fall risk for the women in the study.
A randomized controlled trial by Bruyere et al (2) compared a group of 20 patients who received standard physical therapy to 22 patients who received physical therapy plus whole body vibration training. After 6 weeks, the group that used whole body vibration training had improved 8 of the 9 items measured compared to those who did physical therapy online. Most importantly, their “POMA score improved from 14.9 to 20.5 which is above the fall risk threshold of 19 (1).”
“Participants using Power Plate improved their POMA score from "14.9 to 20.5 which is above the fall risk threshold of 19.”
Merriman H et al. The effects of whole-body vibration training in aging adults: a systematic review
A second randomized controlled trial by Cheung, et al (3) looked at the effects of Power Plate on balance in elderly women. 69 women who did not regularly exercise were randomly assigned to either the Power Plate group or the no exercise group. The Power Plate group used the Power Plate 3 minutes a day, 3 days a week for 3 months. The study found those who used the Power Plate had significant improvements in balance compared to those who did not. Just 3 minutes a day reduced fall risk for the women in this study.
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References:
(1) Merriman H, Jackson K. The effects of whole-body vibration training in aging adults: a systematic review. J Geriatr Phys Ther. 2009;32(3):134-45. doi: 10.1519/00139143-200932030-00009. PMID: 20128338.
(2) Bruyere O, Wuidart MA, Di Palma E, Gourlay M, Ethgen O, Richy F, Reginster JY. Controlled whole body vibration to decrease fall risk and improve health-related quality of life of nursing home residents. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2005 Feb;86(2):303-7. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2004.05.019. PMID: 15706558.
(3) Cheung WH, Mok HW, Qin L, Sze PC, Lee KM, Leung KS. High-frequency whole-body vibration improves balancing ability in elderly women. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2007 Jul;88(7):852-7. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2007.03.028. PMID: 17601464.
