Vibration therapy in osteoporosis

Whole-body vibration therapy is an intentional biomechanical stimulation of the body using various frequencies of vibrations with the motive of health improvement:

• fast-paced mechanical oscillations or vibrations of any variable frequency that are conducted to the body are called whole-body vibrations
• vibration training, vibrotherapy, biomechanical stimulation, or mechano-stimulation is the intentional exposure of vibrations of various frequencies and wavelengths in fixed joint positions for a definite duration (1)
  • can be pivotal, oscillating, or linear
• has shown efficacy in preventing bone loss at the lumbar spine in postmenopausal women (2)
  • Interventions showing a positive impact include those that use high frequency and low magnitude vibrations and those with high cumulative doses
• a review concluded vibration therapy showed positive outcomes as a treatment modality to improve bone mass density and postural control in postmenopausal women and geriatric populations (1)

Reference:

1. Singh A, Varma AR. Whole-Body Vibration Therapy as a Modality for Treatment of Senile and Postmenopausal Osteoporosis: A Review Article. Cureus. 2023 Jan 12;15(1):e33690.
2. Hoong C W S, Saul D, Khosla S, Sfeir J G. Advances in the management of osteoporosis. BMJ 2025; 390 :e081250