Vibrant Health
Safety

Whole Body Vibration — Contraindications/ Safety

It is always advisable to consult with your physician before starting any exercise program. Ongoing research in the field of Whole Body Vibration (WBV) indicates that many people can actually benefit from this form of exercise. However, if you suffer from any of the following contraindications, it is imperative that you discuss WBV therapy with your physician before beginning any training program with vibration equipment.

The Relative and Absolute contraindications listed below apply to stronger amplitude and frequency settings for the machines on this website. However, the Vibrant Health Ultimate Vibe machine also has an extremely gentle setting called Low Intensity Vibration (LIV) which has almost no contraindications.

According to the FDA, there are no contraindications for the extremely gentle form of vibration called Low Intensity Vibration (LIV). However, we still recommend caution with LIV with certain very sensitive conditions such as epilepsy controlled with medications, severe acute migraines, vertigo, retinal detachment issues, recently broken bones, recent joint replacements, and other conditions listed in the Absolute Contraindications category.

Relative Contraindications

Gentle, gradual WBV may be able to help with these conditions, but use the WBV with caution. You may also need additional therapies and/or supplements to tolerate the WBV and gain its benefits. If you have these conditions, do not use WBV without guidance from a qualified natural health practitioner familiar with WBV and the approval of your doctor. (See also the list of Absolute Contraindications below — do not use WBV at all if you have any of those.)

  • pregnancy
  • epilepsy (very mild and not needing to be controlled with medications)
  • minor migraines (mild, infrequent, and not needing to be controlled by medication)
  • gallstones, kidney stones, bladder stones (WBV can help small stones move out of the body, but large ones may get stuck, potentially leading to severe problems)
  • articular rheumatism, arthrosis
  • acute rheumatoid arthritis
  • heart failure
  • cardiac dysrhythmia
  • cardiac disorders (post-myocardial infarction / heart attack)
  • metal or synthetic implants (e.g., pacemaker, artificial cardiac valves, recent stents, or brain implants)
  • chronic back pain after fracture, disc disorders, or spondylosis
  • severe diabetes mellitus with peripheral vascular disease or neuropathy
  • tumors (excluding metastases in the musculoskeletal system)
  • spondylolisthesis (a misalignment front to back of the vertebrae) without gliding
  • movement disorders: Parkinson’s disease, MS, cerebral palsy, and others
  • chondromalacia of the joints of the lower extremities, osteonecrosis
  • arterial circulation disorders
  • venous insufficiency with ulcus cruris
  • Morbus Sudeck Stadium II (or complex regional pain syndrome / CRPS)
  • lymphatic edema
  • postoperative wounds
  • No WBV for 6 months after joint replacement surgery; after that WBV can help strengthen the bone-to-implant bonding.

Absolute Contraindications

Do not use a WBV device at all (with the possible exception of LIV*) if you have any of the following — or if you have any concerns about your physical health.

*Please talk to your doctor before using even LIV vibration with any of these conditions.

  • acute inflammations, infections, and/or fever
  • large gallstones, kidney stones, bladder stones (large enough to potentially get stuck in narrow tubes on the way out of your body)
  • acute arthropathy or arthrosis (such as an acute arthritis attack from an infectious or autoimmune disease)
  • joint replacements: wait six months after a joint replacement before using WBV. After that time WBV is okay; the vibration will improve the bond of bone to metal or other synthetic material.
  • bone fractures: for simple bone fractures, wait six weeks; for complex fractures or those involving implanted metal plates or screws, wait eight to twelve weeks. Please consult your doctor.
  • acute migraine
  • acute or severe epilepsy (needs to be controlled with medication)
  • retinal detachment (or a high risk of retinal detachment)
  • fresh (surgical) wounds
  • implants of the spine (spinal fusions are not a contraindication as long as they are healed)
  • acute or chronic deep vein thrombosis or other thrombotic afflictions
  • acute disc-related problems, spondylolysis (stress fracture of the vertebrae), gliding spondylolisthesis, or fractures
  • severe osteoporosis with BMD less than 70 mg/ml (T-scores less than –3.9)
  • spasticity (after stroke, spinal cord lesion, etc.)
  • Morbus Sudeck Stadium I (CRPS I)
  • tumors with metastases in the musculoskeletal system
  • vertigo or positional dizziness
  • acute myocardial infarction

When in doubt, talk to your doctor first.

If you have questions about whether WBV is right for you, contact Becky at 1-877-422-8423 or Becky@bcvibranthealth.com.