“How do you feel?”
This is a question that has been circulating on TikTok as individuals upload video after video of themselves swaying on vibrating plates as their bodies tremble, frequently in an effort to promote the gadgets as the newest miracle remedy.
Undoubtedly, their endeavors have created a stir. Vibration plates are a cross between a griddle and a shaky surfboard. Since April, there has been a noticeable spike in online searches for these goods, and tens of thousands of transactions have been made on TikTok Shop.
They are used by people in many ways. While the plate rattles, some concentrate on staying upright; others go one step farther and perform different exercises like pushups or squats.
Whole-body vibration is said to provide a number of health advantages, including improved circulation, weight reduction, and increased bone density and lymphatic drainage.
But what is the real message of the evidence?
Are vibration plates good for your health?
“While it’s not a miracle cure, it does have some benefits,” Dr. Jörn Rittweger, head of the German Aerospace Center’s section of muscle and bone metabolism and space physiology professor at the University of Cologne in Germany, stated.
According to him, the cardiovascular and calorie-burning advantages are comparable to “brisk walking for the same amount of time.”
The amount of exercise you now get matters as well. Rittweger stated, “If people don’t do anything” in terms of exercising, then the results are either better or mediocre. If people in the general public are already exercising, the impact is negligible or nonexistent.
Rittweger, for instance, stated that he utilizes the apparatus in the children’s rehabilitation center to assist prevent muscular atrophy in youngsters who are unable to walk.
How about making bones stronger? Rittweger claims there is conflicting evidence. “It’s probably not going to have a big impact,” he stated.
Rittweger reported that there is “evidence suggesting that the vibration actually does help with removal of fluids from your legs” in relation to enhanced circulation and lymphatic drainage, albeit it is unclear if the fluid is being evacuated from the veins or the lymphatic system.
Vibration has also drawn a lot of attention on TikTok to two related diseases: lipedema, which is a type of swelling typically seen in women and is caused by fat deposits that are typically difficult to burn off, and lymphedema, which is a form of swelling that results from a more severe backup of lymphatic fluid.
Former president of the International Society of Lymphology and professor of plastic surgery at Lund University Cancer Centre in Sweden, Dr. Håkan Brorson, commented in an email that there is “no convincing evidence that vibration plates alleviate lymphedema or lipedema.”
For those who are unable to exercise in other ways, it could be beneficial even if the data is conflicting.
However, how you utilize the gadget also important. Rittweger advises consulting a professional, such as a physical therapist, to make sure you are getting the most out of the advantages without endangering yourself.
Do vibration plates pose a risk?
Lower back discomfort has been linked to prolonged whole-body vibration exposure, such as that experienced by bus drivers and heavy machinery workers.
According to ergonomics expert Peter W. Johnson, an emeritus professor at the University of Washington’s School of Public Health, most vibration plate users probably won’t be concerned about this. Since most vibrating plates are only utilized for brief periods of time—six to fifteen minutes—I don’t think there would be many issues with them, he added.
Johnson stated, “The frequencies that the plates operate with are the other important thing.” Many users of the plates utilize higher frequencies, which have no effect on the spine.
There are frequently alerts on the gadgets for certain users.
Any active clotting condition is one of the main ones. You might move a clot if you have one, according to Rittweger. A dislodged clot has the potential to go to the heart and induce a heart attack or to move to the brain and cause a stroke.
Additionally, he mentioned that kidney stones can be quite painful to remove and that vibration may help.
Popular vibration plate brand Lifepro states on its website that users should not use the devices if they have a heart ailment, bone or muscle injury, or if they have medical implants like pacemakers. They should also avoid using the devices if they are pregnant or have small children.
The request for comment from Lifepro was not answered.
Johnson states that even though vibration plates are generally harmless, “when we make changes, we tell people to listen to their body.”
According to Deja Mason of Roanoke, Virginia, she discovered vibration plates via TikTok.
Mason, 29, stated, “I had heard it helped with poor circulation.” Rather, she said that it exacerbated her symptoms.
“I used it for maybe three minutes at most, and I couldn’t really stand up straight or focus on anything with my eyes because I got really lightheaded and dizzy right away,” the woman claimed.
People shouldn’t be concerned about the itching they could feel while using a vibration plate for the first time.
According to Rittweger, it’s a response brought on by the skin’s vibration and sliding across blood vessels, which causes the release of histamine, a chemical that causes the vessels to enlarge and cause irritation.
“It’s not harmful,” he added, adding that “it passes away with one, two, or three sessions at the most.”
Hold on, haven’t we seen them previously?
A return of vibrating plates has some feeling like old workout fads.
Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, a history professor at the New School in New York City and the author of “Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America’s Exercise Obsession,” remarked, “This feels rather retro to me.” “It’s probably related in some way to the resurgence of early 2000s culture.”
She said that in addition to making exercise appear easier, there’s a seductive quality to it. “You may still reap the benefits of this without even having to run on a treadmill. You only need to stand there for it to work.
There has been a long history of vibrating fitness equipment, ranging from belts to sofas, and the most recent version is the vibrating plate. She said that from the 1940s through the 1960s, “the notion of passive exercise was being sold, almost entirely to women,” and that this idea “didn’t at all disrupt notions of ‘appropriately ladylike movement.'”
God forbid, Petrzela replied, “it would be completely inappropriate for her to be lifting heavy weights or going for a run.”
What then made them so well-liked at the start of the new millennium?
She remarked, “There was a lot of enthusiasm about what technology can accomplish.” “Remember, that was the dot-com and Y2K era.” Therefore, I have a suspicion that it was kind of a “How can we make the gym high-tech?”
But they vanished quickly. “Trends come and go,” she remarked, citing the rise and fall of CrossFit and group exercise as examples of past trends that replaced vibration plates.
Right now, they’re in style. However, much as vibrating plates quickly raise and lower their users, trends also fluctuate. Anything that is up right now might go down just as quickly tomorrow.
