Whole Body Vibration as Fibromyalgia Treatment
OK, here's one I didn't see coming - a study published in the Journal of Altenative and Complementary Medicine says that whole-body vibration (WBV) can actually reduce pain and fatigue, and improve physical function for those of us with fibromyalgia.
In the study, they had a group of women with fibromyalgia who followed an exercise regimen consisting of aerobic activities, stretching and relaxation twice a week. Half of the women followed their work-outs with WBV, while the other half didn't. A control group didn't exercise or get WBV.
After 6 weeks, the WBV group showed significantly lower pain and fatigue scores than the exercise-only group and the control group, while the exercise-only group wasn't significantly different from the control group.
This sounded really bizarre to me, so I did some research on WBV. Turns out, it's been proven to help physical function in the elderly as well. I also found out you can buy WBV platforms online. Some cost thousands of dollars, but I found some for around $250.
Is WBV something you'd be interested in trying? It sounds weird to me, but then again the treatments that have helped me most sound weird, too! Does anyone have experience with WBV? What do you think about it? Share your comments here or in About.com's Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome community forum.
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Comments
I have had a session on one of these and it was pretty good. The woman who owned the bed claimed to have been cured of her FM by it.
http://www.hydromassage.ca/?gclid=CMCXgKXU-pYCFQMCagodNgvaXQ
Since I have both ME/CFS and Fibro, I get wierd results from treatment as well. For example, I cannot tolerate vibration. That’s a ME/CFS thing.
But, I got really good results from acupuncture. Sadly, the woman who treated me left town. But she was able to rid me of dizziness and to improve my stamina level. It took some time and effort and my willingness to put up with side effects until she tweaked her protocol to suit me. But I sure wish she was back in town.
Nancy
I have a massage pad that vibrates at the shoulders, lower back and thighs. I also have a neck mesaager from the same company. After a bad day (which is most days now), I use them for about 15 minutes or so. I really do feel the relief from them, and it does’t take very long.
I haven’t tried this method and don’t think I could due to other injuries outside of fibromyalgia. It sounds interesting though. I can see where a light vibration may help the muscles to relax.
It does sound a little odd but sounds like it can’t hurt, right? I could see how it might improve circulation and stimulate some cells. What could you use as an alternative to the expensive machines, I wonder? Maybe ride in someone’s old pick up truck or the back of a Harley, who knows?
My advice, keep away from cheap machines. It’s your health we are talking about. You should be able to find something decent for $2-3000.I tried WBV and it really works. Visit the forum at the website vibrationtraining.net to find more info on WBV.
Here is a very good visual review process to help you learn more about the real differences in machines. Something marketers will hate.
http://www.vibrationtraining.net/2009/03/whole-body-vibration-training-machine-review-categories