Vibration Exercise Therapy Overview of rationale, effi cacy and safety considerations Dr. Sidhu and patient performing fl exibility training, with the goal of decreasing spasticityt Dr. Sidhu and patient performing fl exibility training, with the goal of decreasing spas icity. Dr. Jaspar Sidhu graduated from Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in 1994 and has incor- porated vibration therapy into his practice in Windsor, Ontario. Dr. Sidhu is vice-president of Clinical Services at WAVE Manufacturing Inc.in Toronto.He can be contacted at [email protected] W ith its many benefi ts for the patient population, it’s no surprise that vibration exercise therapy is one of the fastest growing modalities in the chiropractic and physiotherapy profession. And, with the increasing popularity of new types of technologies comes the choice of different units from various manufacturers. However, not all equipment should be compared on equal grounds. This article will discuss the benefi ts that vibration exercise therapy can provide for your patient popula- tion, as well as for your practice, and provide you with a checklist of what to look for in a vibration platform when you decide to purchase one. Vibration exercise technology was originally used within the Russian space program and continues to be used for Olympic athletes. The initial area of focus and research and focus, for the technology, was sports enhancement.1,2,3,4 However, its therapeutic benefi ts have quickly been discovered, and are now being implemented in hospitals, physiotherapy clinics, and chiropractic clinics across North America. The physiological basis behind the therapy is simple: the vibration platform vibrates up and down over a distance of a few millimetres, up to 50 times per second, thereby naturally stimulat- ing the stretch refl ex to, in turn, create an involuntary muscle contraction.5 Within one minute, a patient can undergo up to 3,000 muscle contractions. This involuntary stretch refl ex leads to the many benefi ts – described in the paragraphs that follow – that vibration exercise therapy can provide for the patient population. 18 • CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR | SEPTEMBER 2008 www.canadianchiropractor.ca Dr. Jaspar Sidhu, DC feature
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