OSU Researchers to Shake-Up Hip Replacement Therapy
02-09-06
By Stephen Swanson, 541-737-0789
SOURCE: Gianni Maddalozzo, 541-737-6802
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Good vibrations may be the key for Oregon State University researchers seeking to aid hip replacement patients.
To study the benefits of a whole body vibration exercise regime – similar to that used by astronauts and Olympians – OSU scientists will put volunteers through workouts on vibrating platforms designed to improve strength, flexibility and balance, said Gianni Maddalozzo, a researcher in OSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
Customized workouts will be created for volunteers ages 60-75 who have had partial hip replacement surgery in the past two years, said Maddalozzo, whose appointment is in the college’s Department of Exercise and Sport Science.
Participants will then undergo supervised workouts for two days a week in Salem or Corvallis. A control group will also be recruited and will perform the same exercises, but won’t use the vibrating platform.
“Most people, when they hear about whole body vibration therapy, they tend to laugh,” Maddalozzo said. But as the population ages, he added, osteoporosis, or “brittle bones,” and related fractures are becoming an increasing problem and hip fracture is the most devastating complication of osteoporosis.
“A number of animal studies, examining sheep, turkeys and rats, show that vibration treatment has a significant effect on bone formation and muscle mass,” Maddalozzo said. “When researchers tried a vibration platform regime with sheep, they saw huge increases in bone mass among the animals.”
But in hip fracture patients, bone mass is not the primary concern.
“The bone heals itself; that’s not the issue,” Maddalozzo said. “The issue is increasing muscle mass, strength and balance with a workout program that is safe and practical.
“Whole body vibration training has been promoted as an efficient, safe alternative for resistance training,” he added. “Even if performed to exhaustion the increases in heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen uptake during whole body vibration training are negligible. Moreover, vibration training has been shown to be as efficient as standard resistance training for improving strength and balance in older women.”
In addition to customized workouts volunteers will receive free bone scans to measure bone mass.
The vibrating work stations resemble giant home scales with upraised handles. Vibration levels will be set at 30 hertz, giving muscles 30 cycles of vibration per second, making them contract and relax 30 times per second.
Individuals will probably start at about 10 minutes of exercise for each session and gradually build to 20-minute workouts.
“You can get the benefits of a 45- to 50-minute workout for less than half that time with a whole body vibration workout,” Maddalozzo pointed out.
The slight shaking may momentarily startle newcomers, but people usually adjust to it in a few moments, Maddalozzo said. A support harness can be used for participants who fear losing their balance.
The therapy period will last six months. Anyone interested in volunteering for the study can contact Maddalozzo at 541-737-6802 or herronja@onid.orst.edu. About the OSU College of Health and Human Sciences:
Emphasizing a holistic approach to optimal health and disease prevention, researchers focus on nutrition, physical activity, the psychology of aging improving the health of children and older adults, public policy, access to health care, and maximizing environmentally friendly materials and structures.
Last updated at 16:36pm on 18th July 2006
With her heavily muscled arms, you would be forgiven for thinking it is the result of a punishing exercise regime at the gym.
But it seems the Queen of Pop’s incredible shape is, in part, thanks to The Power Plate – dubbed the ‘miracle’ machine.
And for those who have spent years trying to beat the wobble, the news is sure to send out good vibrations.
The new exercise machine removes the need to actually work out.
Manufacturers claim that the vibrating platform offers the same benefits of an hour-long sweaty gym workout in just 15 minutes with the machine burning the calories for you.
The Power Plate is said to be responsible for the incredible shapes of not only Madonna, but also star such as Claudia Schiffer and Natalie Imbruglia.
But the “miracle” machine doesn’t come cheap – at £6,995 it costs far more than the average annual gym membership.
After the muscley 47-year-old Queen of Pop bought the vibrating exercise platform, sales have reportedly soared.
A smaller version at John Lewis for £2,599 is currently the store’s fastest selling fitness product, with one a day being snapped up, despite its princely price tag.
And in Harrods, around 20 machines are sold every weekend.
The plate works by giving the body muscles a high speed workout, as the vibrations make them contract and relax up to 50 times a second.
It may feel like standing on a spin dryer, but celebrities including Jonathan Ross, Colin Montgomerie, Sadie Frost and Donatella Versace are all fans.
The machine is also being used by several premiership football teams, including Manchester United and the German team trained with it during the World Cup.
Originally developed by Russian scientist Vladimir Nazarov, whole vibration training was used to prevent astronauts’ muscles and bones wasting when they were in space.
Later, Russian ballet dancers discovered that vibration could aid the healing of their injuries by increasing their muscular strength.
Dutch Olympic trainer Guus van der Meer used this research in 1999 to develop the machine for the health and fitness sector.
In addition to increasing strength and toning the body, makers boast that it can improve blood flow and reduce cellulite if used for 15 minutes, three times a week.
Instead of jogging or power walking, users are instructed to do gentle exercises like squats or stretches on the platform.
Suitable for all ages and fitness levels, it is now being made available in gyms across the UK and has been recommended for osteoporosis and arthritis sufferers as it puts no strain on the joints.
A spokesman said: “Power Plate offers the benefits of regular exercise – a toned body, better flexibility, improved circulation which helps reduce the appearance of cellulite, increased stamina and improved fitness and well-being.”
But fitness experts remain sceptical about the benefits of the machine.
Chief executive of the Fitness Industry Association, Andree Dean said: “It should only be used in conjunction with other types of exercise.
“It’s great for those short of time, but it is not a quick fix and people shouldn’t think that if they use it, they don’t have to go to the gym anymore.
“It certainly does not provide cardiovascular exercise, which keeps the heart and blood circulation system healthy.”
