This was interesting:
Obviously it wasn’t a large study, but the results were a little surprising! A bit of a placebo effect…
I wasn’t terribly surprised - the “science” behind these has been pretty sparse since the beginning, with lots of anecdotal “proof” of efficacy.
The behavioral aspect is interesting and I can see that would be a benefit for a horse on rehab, although I’m not sure that is enough to justify the price tag.
Glad to see some studies being done. I too was highly skeptical. Actually, I stood on one for about 15 minutes at USDF finals last year. For the next hour my legs felt weird and my SI absolutely lit up. For me it was a very unpleasant experience and enough to make me wonder if it could potentially be uncomfortable to a horse with an acute strain or chronic injury.
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I’m glad to see some real studies being done on these machines. We tested one for several months and our veterinarian didn’t want us using it on any horse with an acute injury as there was no science to show that it would help and could possibly hurt the recovery. Many of the horses disliked the plate and it was very impractical for our training barn. I’m sure it is beneficial for some ailments but I didn’t see enough benefit to justify the price or space in our barn!
I posted a link to the article on Facebook and several people jumped in and said they had seen positive results. If nothing else, it seemed to loosen up the horses’ muscles. Although a nice walk would do that too. One horse body work person noted that several of his trainer clients had them and said they say results.
But count me as a bit skeptical. Scientist = educated cynic.
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I was thrilled to see that study. I am not one to subscribe to all the gimmicky treatments - Bemer, PEMF, magnets, vibrating platforms, vibrating ice boots…the list goes on. In truth I’m not one to do the hi tech interventional vet treatments either that cost $$$$ since the post treatment for that is rest and in the long run that will sort out most anything. I think hands on body work and stretching and either in hand or under saddle exercises to improve suppleness, topline strength and proprioception work the best and for most people they are completely doable and thus free. The one thing I love and is always at the top of my list is acupuncture. It is not a fix all but has provided considerable pain relief for several of my horses over the years.
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GraceLikeRain - I had the same experience. Admittedly, my SI is my trouble spot. The pain shot through me & lasted the whole weekend. Then I saw a horse freak when he got on - took 3 people to hold him & I thought how the heck can that be therapeutic? My bodyworker uses a handheld vibration thing & they love it, but I’m just not convinced that a vibrating floor is a good thing.
My coach has one and swears by it. Me, I’m completely skeptical and have never put any of my horses on the darn thing; but it makes her happy. Dating myself here but totally reminds me of those vibrating belt machines that were supposed to vibrate the fat off of you. Yeah, right. http://atomictoasters.com/2012/04/what-ever-became-of-vibrating-belt-weight-loss-machines/
Glad to see the study. I’ve never seen one the platforms so I have no idea how much it moves but it’s never been something that I saw the science behind.
I too was happy to see the study. I thought (briefly) of forwarding it to a friend who truly believes that using this platform helps. But some people are convinced they work even though the science doesn’t back it up.
My big silly horse was on stall rest for a pretty serious injury, potentially career ending. Part of his therapy was a vibrating plate. I can’t honestly say that it had any specific effect on the quality of healing of his actual injuries BUT HE LOVED IT!
It was a nice part of his otherwise dull day and it kept him much quieter in his stall and to hand walk in the winter which definitely played a part in the positive outcome we got. He is generally terribly spooky inside in the winter.
I also, for whatever reason “feel” significantly better in my body after I am on it for 15-20 minutes so to each their own.
My other gelding HATES it.
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Me too. In spades. People make a lot of money off of these things. I have excellent results with TTouch and the other body work and training exercises I do. I wondered about the behavior change. It reminded me of when people will set the baby in the baby carrier on the dryer and the vibration sends them into la la land.
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I wonder if the behavioral aspect would change if they used handlers unfamiliar with the vibrating plate and then told the handlers that the plate was hypothesized to aggravate injuries instead of healing them.
The study used Arabians, a breed notoriously in tune with human emotions. I can imagine that some Arabs would feel fussed over by the treatment and respond favorably to the attention and the handler’s positive impression of the machine. If the handler holding them on the non-vibrating plate was thinking it was a waste of time, the horse might pick up that vibe and get more restless.
Great point! I have a mare that behaves just as you described due to her loving any attention and being fussed over.
She relaxes and becomes very affectionate almost like a little kitten. But when the handler is emotionless and matter of fact, she too becomes more aloof and not as co-operative.
Mine stand in stocks with cross ties and a hay net, no fussing over them and at the clinic it was the same unless the horse refused to stand quietly on it’s own.
This. I was not surprised to see the results of the study. But there is something to be said the therapies that support overall health and well being. If a horse is on stall rest, has tight tense muscles from lack of moving, and is restless then I can see how time on the plate would help his muscle tone and mental state. However I bet massage or other pleasant, non-invasive body work could do the same thing. Does it directly assist the injury; no. But could it help in some capacity? I suspect yes.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d never spend the money on one. But I stood on one at the Royal and I sure did feel more relaxed after. If there was one in the barn and it wouldn’t cost extra, I’d use it.
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You can always say, “Yeah, they studied it and found nothing.”, but you always have to look at the studies themselves, to determine if they were set up to find or disprove what is being asserted by sellers.
“Nowlin and colleagues hypothesized that horses that underwent vibration platform treatment would have different physiologic parameters than those that did not.” Which physiologic parameters? Listed were “potential lameness, gait deficits, and limited flexibility”. If that’s all they tested for, then this study seems so limited as to be almost useless and not what (at least) the Theraplate Company asserts. TP is the one I’m most familiar with, so will use their info.
“The acute test included one 30-minute vibration session,” (let’s ignore that one) “while the long-term phase consisted of treatment five days per week for three weeks.” First, I would not call 3 weeks, “Long Term”. Although not specified, let’s assume that the treatment was 30 min/day for the acute. 30 minutes X 5 x 3 = 450 minutes total on the machine.
On the Benefits page of the Theraplate website, of times stated, therapy times were much more than 3 weeks.
One that impressed me when I saw it a few years ago, was the venous growth in the foundered hoof. Treatment time was 2 time a day for 20 minutes each time for 45 days. 40 minutes per day X 45 days = 1,800 minutes on the machine.
This is over twice as many days as the study with 4 times as much time on the machine (1,800/450=4). The difference in the images of the foundered hoof were remarkable.
30 minutes 5 days per week for 3 weeks, I don’t believe is enough time to cause noticeable change/healing.
And there is a visible, objective look at results. Foundered hoof, Image 1: not much blood flow. Foundered hoof, Image 2: much more blood flow. And if you wanted to actually measure the growth in veins and arteries, you could.
This is more than a couple Docs saying: “I don’t think he’s moving any different.” To my knowledge, the study did no imaging. Someone mentioned handler bias, nothing was said about possible Vet bias.
In this case, I’ll call the seller’s assertions and the study, apples and oranges.
Based on what I saw years ago, when I found a vibrating plate for humans, at a good price, I bought it because I thought it might help some old ankle injuries I’ve had. The thing does not allow me to just stand there and relax. The vibration produces a situation in which my muscles are always going back and forth against each other very quickly. When I get off, there is a short bit of recovery time before I get my “Land legs” back.
I’ll admit, I don’t get on it as much as I think I should, but I do believe it helps me.
I agree that I wouldn’t call 3 weeks exactly “long term”. I had access to one during my horse’s rehab, and he had about a 5 minute tolerance for standing on the plate and then was bored/done. He is very expressive when it comes to other bodywork, including cold laser, where he will relax and take a good snooze. So, I took his response to mean the plate didn’t feel good to him, but it probably didn’t hurt either, since he didn’t freak out about it or anything. He just wasn’t interested. At all. Even with food there.
What this study did do, that the TheraPlate example did not, was include a negative control (the horses standing on the platform, but not turned on). I don’t doubt that they found one set of images before and after that showed a marked change. The question I have is “What would the change have looked like without the TheraPlate? Could you tell the difference between 45 days post founder with TheraPlate and 45 days post founder without TheraPlate?” It is quite possible that the “tincture of time” is what caused the differences in imaging. The article summary doesn’t say, but it would be easy enough for the vets to be blinded and to not know which horses had gotten treatment and which the sham, which would eliminate any bias on their part.
That’s the thing, right there. I would love to see a double-blind study in which the “Long” time was actually “Long”, with measurements that can be objectively quantified, especially re: circulation.
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