TheraPlate (Whole Body Vibration Therapy)

Whole body vibration therapy occurs when a horse stands on a vibrating base or floor, a TheraPlate system.  The vibrational therapy

  • Develops proprioceptive muscles (multifidus etc) 

  • Stimulates and improves blood circulation (musculoskeletal, limbs, lungs, organs)

  • Assists in the management of osteoarthritis

The vibrational plates are controlled by vortex wave motors to create a whole body vibration without generating ground force reaction.  This creates an impact free work out.  The horse stands on a vibrating platform.  The vibration frequency (between 0-100 Hz or cycles per second) and magnitude (height) can be specifically chosen to treat various conditions.  The vibration stimulates, increases and improves circulation and metabolic rate, relaxes stiff muscles, and provides isotonic muscle contractions, especially to postural and proprioceptive (multifidus etc) muscles.   This makes it an ideal tool for prehabilitation and rehabilitation protocols. 

15 minutes of vibration plate therapy prevents bone resorption (seen in horses stalled for long periods of time ), improves bone density, and helps to develop muscle without impact on joints and soft tissues.  This allows horses unable to support loading of a structure; due laminitis, abscesses, arthritis, and chronic conditions or stiffness, to safely undergo isotonic muscle conditioning.  Other settings can be chosen to stimulate isotonic contractions and maintain fitness in horses with wounds or tendon and ligament injuries that require restricted motion.  Additionally, setting can be chosen to warm up muscles immediately prior to competition or rehabilitation work outs.  TheraPlate may also be used to cool down muscles after work. TheraPlate sessions typically last 15-20 minutes and may be prescribed 1-3x/day or as needed. 

Vibration therapy has been shown to benefit the following conditions

  • Abscesses and other hoof issues

  • Arthritis – any area from foot to back and neck

  • Joint stiffness or soreness

  • Bleeders

  • Bone density (even from stall rest – University of Davis California bone scans show regenerated bone density not just in the legs but also in the ribs)

  • Bone spurs

  • Bucked shins

  • Cellulitis

  • Colic (intestinal hypomobility, impactions)

  • Cushing’s disease

  • Exercise induced pulmonary hemorrhage (Bleeders)

  • Laminitis 

  • Ligament injuries (sprains, strains, ruptures)

    • Check ligaments (superior and inferior) 

    • Collateral ligaments

    • Dorsal spinal ligaments 

    • Sacroiliac ligaments

    • Suspensory ligament

  • Joint injuries 

    • Acute or chronic

    • Cervical, back shoulder, elbow, carpus, stifle, hock, fetlock, pastern and coffin: from the neck and back to the coffin)

  • Meniscal injuries

  • Muscle atrophy or soreness

  • Navicular region pain

  • Neurological compromise (rehabilitative for EPM)

  • Nervous, hard to manage horses

  • Pre/post performance/Race/Pre-show

  • Scar tissue, adhesion

  • Sore back/muscles

  • Splints

  • Tendon injuries (sprains, strains, ruptures)

    • Bowed tendons

    • Deep digital flexor tendon

    • Superficial digital flexor tendons

  • Travel stress

  • Hip injuries or arthritis (Whorlbone) 

  • Wound healing/Old wounds

Thank you for your interest in learning more about Whole-Body Vibration Therapy and how it can help your horse.  If you have questions, think your horse would benefit from a TheraPlate treatment or treatment package, or would like to set up an intensive prehabilitation/rehabilitation in hospital stay, contact Henderson Equine Clinic by email or at (585) 226-5560.   In some cases, we do offer telemedicine consultations if you would like discuss possible ways to incorporate vibration therapy in your horse's management.

TheraPlate treatments combine well with routine chiropractic exams and can be used in conjunction with our Class IV K-Laser.

For more research on the benefits of whole- body vibration therapy :

Effect of vortex wave circulation stimulation on bone measurements of mature horses on stall rest A.L. Greene ∗, C.A. Cavinder, C.P. Heaton, C.A. Mochal-King, C.O. Lemley, T.T.N. Dinh       Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, Volume 76, May 2019, Page 52

Effect of vortex wave circulation stimulation on muscle thickness in mature horses on stall rest    A. Greene ∗, C. Cavinder, C. Heaton, C. Mochal-King, C. Lemley, T. Dinh Journal of Equine Veterinary Science  Volume 76, May 2019, Page 57

Acute and Prolonged Effects of Vibrating Platform Treatment on Horses: A Pilot Study   Chelsea Nowlin, Brian Nielsen, Jillian Mills, Cara Robison, Harold Schott, Duncan Peters,  Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, Volume 62, 2018,  Pages 116-122

Does Vibration Stimulation Offer an Effective Therapeutic Advantage to Performance Horses?  Publication 3435 (POD-06-23)  By Clay Cavinder, PhD, Professor, Animal and Dairy Sciences.  Department: Animal & Dairy Science  The Mississippi State University Extension Service 


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