As a physical therapist working with adults over 45, I’ve seen firsthand how maintaining muscle strength and balance becomes increasingly important—and challenging—with age. Unfortunately, most people lose muscle mass during the aging process. Some individuals lose at a much greater extent than others. This is commonly called sarcopenia, the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength that occurs as we age. But there are things you can do to reverse age-related sarcopenia.
Many of my patients ask about effective, evidence-based ways to prevent sarcopenia (muscle loss) and reduce their fall risk. Historically, I have recommended a combination of an exercise program that includes strength training, balance exercises, and weight bearing exercises, as well as a nutritional program that includes protein and Vitamin D.
Today, I want to share promising research (1) about low intensity vibration therapy (LiV) and its role in sarcopenia prevention and balance improvement.
Sarcopenia: Muscle Loss Associated with Getting Older
Before we dive into low intensity vibration therapy, let’s understand what we’re fighting against. Sarcopenia is the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength that occurs as we age. This isn’t just about looking less toned—it’s a serious health concern that affects your:
- Ability to perform activities of daily living independently
- Balance and stability
- Risk of falls and fractures
- Overall quality of life
What makes sarcopenia particularly concerning is that it begins earlier than most people realize—often in our 40s—and accelerates after 60. Even more troubling is that sarcopenia affects more than just muscles. Recent research (1) shows it’s linked to the deterioration of neuromuscular junctions (NMJs), the critical connections between our nerves and muscles.
A Key to Sarcopenia Prevention: The Neuromuscular Connection
The recently published research in Aging Cell (1) reveals something fascinating: the deterioration of these neuromuscular connections (or junctions) actually precedes the onset of sarcopenia and that sarcopenia prevention is possible if you can preserve these crucial connections.
Think of these junctions as the electrical outlets where your brain’s signals plug into your muscles. When these connections degrade, the communication becomes less effective, and muscles don’t respond as quickly or powerfully.
This degradation creates a cascade of problems:
- Weaker muscle contractions
- Reduced coordination
- Slower reaction times
- Compromised balance
All of these factors contribute to an increased fall risk and accelerated muscle loss. But here’s the good news: research suggests that you can prevent sarcopenia if you can preserve these crucial connections.
In the diagram below you see a motor nerve. These motor nerves communicate with skeletal muscle fibers called myofibrils. The specific node through which they communicate is the neuromuscular junction.
Exercise and Osteoporosis
Exercise is an essential ingredient to bone health. If you have osteoporosis, therapeutic exercise needs to be part of your osteoporosis treatment program.
But what exercises should you do and which ones should you avoid? What exercises build bone and which ones reduce your chance of a fracture? Is Yoga good for your bones? Who should you trust when it comes to exercises for osteoporosis?
A great resource on exercise and osteoporosis is my free, seven day email course called Exercise Recommendations for Osteoporosis. After you provide your email address, you will receive seven consecutive online educational videos on bone health — one lesson each day. You can look at the videos at anytime and as often as you like.
I cover important topics related to osteoporosis exercise including:
- Can exercise reverse osteoporosis?
- Stop the stoop — how to avoid kyphosis and rounded shoulders.
- Key components of an osteoporosis exercise program.
- Key principles of bone building.
- Exercises you should avoid if you have osteoporosis.
- Yoga and osteoporosis — should you practice yoga if you have osteoporosis?
- Core strength and osteoporosis — why is core strength important if you have osteoporosis?
Enter your email address and I will start you on this free course. I do not SPAM or share your email address (or any information) with third parties. You can unsubscribe from my mail list at any time.
How to Prevent Sarcopenia: The Promise of Low Intensity Vibration
Low-intensity vibration therapy, similar to what is delivered with the Marodyne LiV, involves standing on a platform that delivers gentle, controlled vibrations throughout your body. The vibrations used in this therapy are much gentler than what you might associate with heavy machinery or intense exercise equipment.
The research shows that LiV treatment operates at about 35 Hz (cycles per second) with only 0.3g of force (where 1g is the force of gravity). The intensity is so mild that it feels like a gentle hum rather than a vigorous shake.
What the Research Tells Us
The study from The Chinese University of Hong Kong published in Aging Cell (1) explored how LiV affects both muscle health and the critical neuromuscular junctions in aging subjects. The findings are compelling:
- Improved muscle performance: At just 4 months of treatment, participants managed to increase muscle mass and demonstrate an increase in grip strength and muscle force.
- Preserved neuromuscular junctions: LiV helped maintain the structure and function of these crucial nerve-muscle connections.
- Reduced muscle atrophy markers: The therapy decreased the expression of genes associated with muscle breakdown.
- Beneficial muscle fiber changes: The treatment helped maintain more of the fast-twitch muscle fibers that are typically lost with age.
Perhaps most importantly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends LiV as an effective fall prevention intervention for older adults. This endorsement appears in the 4th Edition of their Compendium of effective fall interventions (2).
How Low Intensity Vibration Works: The Science Behind the Benefits
What makes this therapy particularly fascinating is how it works at the cellular level. The research reveals several mechanisms:
- Increased Dok7 expression: The therapy increases a protein called Dok7 that’s crucial for maintaining healthy neuromuscular junctions.
- Reduced enzyme activity: LiV decreases acetylcholinesterase activity, which helps improve nerve signal transmission to muscle cells.
- Enhanced muscle receptor health: The treatment helps maintain acetylcholine receptors, ensuring muscles remain responsive to nerve signals.
- Suppressed ERK1/2 phosphorylation: This molecular change helps preserve neuromuscular junction structure.
In simpler terms, the low intensity, gentle vibrations seem to “wake up” the communication pathways between your nerves and muscles, keeping them healthier and more functional as you age.
Practical Benefits for Women Over 45
If you’re over 45 years of age, the potential benefits of LiV are particularly relevant:
- Fall prevention: The improved neuromuscular function translates to better balance and stability.
- Maintained independence: By preserving muscle strength and function, you’re more likely to remain able to perform daily activities without assistance.
- Better quality of life: Stronger muscles and better balance contribute to more confidence in movement and activity.
- Non-invasive approach: Unlike medications that might have side effects, LiV is a gentle, non-pharmacological intervention.
How to Access Vibration Therapy
If you’re interested in trying LiV, here are some practical steps to consider:
- Sarcopenia can affect your whole musculoskeletal system. As a result, I recommend the use of a LiV platform (that you stand on) that propagates the vibration signal through the whole body. A vibration belt only provides local vibration signals and will not reach the neuromuscular connections of your legs.
- Look for physical therapy clinics: A number of Physical Therapy clinics now offer vibration therapy as part of their treatment options. Be sure it is low intensity vibration.
- Specialized fitness centers: Some fitness centers focused on active aging have vibration platforms available for members.
- Home options: While professional-grade platforms can be expensive, there are now more affordable options designed for home use. Just be sure to research carefully to ensure you’re getting a device that delivers the appropriate frequency and amplitude. The only vibration platform I trust for my clients is the Marodyne LiV.
Comprehensive Sarcopenia Prevention: Strength Training, Vibration and Nutrition
While LiV shows remarkable promise, it’s most effective as part of a comprehensive approach to healthy aging. Consider combining it with:
- Resistance exercise: Regular strength training (resistance training) remains one of the most effective ways to help prevent sarcopenia.
- Adequate protein intake: Your muscles need sufficient protein to maintain and rebuild.
- Vitamin D: Ensuring proper levels helps support muscle tissue.
- Regular movement: Even gentle activities like walking and gardening help maintain muscle health.
How to Prevent Sarcopenia: Conclusion
Low intensity vibration therapy represents an exciting advance in our approach to sarcopenia prevention and balance issues. The research shows it works not just at the muscular level, it preserves the critical nerve-muscle connections that begin deteriorating earlier than we previously realized.
Readers will also know that it stimulates bone cells, building both bone quality and bone density. As a result the effects of osteoporosis, osteopenia and sarcopenia can be reduced by a combination of exercise, nutrition and potentially, low intensity vibration.
As with any intervention, individual results will vary, and LiV isn’t a magic solution. However, the evidence suggests it’s a valuable tool in our arsenal in the prevention of sarcopenia and fall risk—one that’s non-invasive, relatively accessible, and now backed by CDC recommendations.
If you’re concerned about maintaining your strength, balance, and independence as you age, discussing vibration therapy with your healthcare provider could be a worthwhile conversation. The gentle vibrations that seem so subtle might just help keep you stronger, more stable, and more independent for years to come.
Margaret Martin
Further Readings
References
- Bao Z, Cui C, Liu C, Long Y, Wong RMY, Chai S, Qin L, Rubin C, Yip BHK, Xu Z, Jiang Q, Chow SK, Cheung WH. Prevention of age-related neuromuscular junction degeneration in sarcopenia by low-magnitude high-frequency vibration. Aging Cell. 2024 Jul;23(7):e14156. doi: 10.1111/acel.14156. Epub 2024 Mar 27. PMID: 38532712; PMCID: PMC11258441.
- Burns, E., Kakara, R., & Moreland, B. (2023). A CDC compendium of effective fall interventions: What works for community- dwelling older adults (4th ed.). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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