Whole Body Vibration Therapy in St. Louis

Muscle does more than move you. It also acts like a gland. When it contracts, it releases signal molecules called myokines. Several of them fight inflammation.

That sets up a loop. Pain cuts your activity. Less activity costs you muscle. Less muscle means fewer myokine signals. Fewer of those signals means more inflammation and more pain. Getting out of shape is not just a result of chronic pain. It is one of the things that keeps the pain going.

So anything that works muscle in a person who cannot otherwise exercise does more than keep them strong.

Mostly as a bridge. It lets us start loading tissue in people who hurt too much, or are too out of shape, to begin regular physical therapy. The goal is to move on to active exercise as you can handle more.

It also loads bone. That matters if you have osteoporosis (thin, weak bones). It matters most if you have already had a vertebral compression fracture and need to load bone without jolting the spine.

It supports your rehab. It does not replace exercise that gets harder over time. If you can handle active rehab, that is better.

We avoid vibration in pregnancy, with a fresh blood clot (acute thrombosis), with a recent fracture or loose hardware, with retinal detachment, and with some implanted devices. Tell us if you have a pacemaker, a spinal cord stimulator or any implanted generator. We will check the maker’s guidance before we use it.

Severe osteoporosis calls for judgment, not a flat no. The right amount of loading helps bone. Too much does not. Where that line sits depends on your bone density and your fracture history.