No, that’s not a typo. I’m not trying to giggle my way into the New Year.  I really want to jiggle. This all came about because of a three-week vacation to Ireland a couple of years ago. Midway through the trip, I realized that my Parkinson’s symptoms of painful stiffness and anxiety were less frequent than usual.

Wondering why, I started paying attention to our activities. As a triple amputee, I was bouncing around more in my wheelchair while being pushed over cobblestone streets, bumping up and down curbs, and off-roading on rough, rocky dirt trails. My husband’s approach to travel is that I should be pushed or pulled anywhere he can walk or hike. This makes for lots of interesting conversations punctuated by shrieks, squeals, and whoops from me as I hang on for dear life at times. More than once I yearned for a seat belt to keep from sliding out going down a steep path.

It was about this time my sister started extolling the benefits of whole body vibration (WBV)–the more formal term for jiggle machines–and  the unit she had purchased. It made me laugh out loud as I recalled the jiggling machines of the 50’s and 60’s which claimed to melt fat away by hugging your hips with a vibrating belt.

I consulted Dr. Google hoping to find something that would explain or support the science of whole body vibration therapy.  “Too Lazy to Exercise? Machines that Exercise for You, From Victorian Era to Now.”  gave me a nice historical perspective.   “I Worked Out on a 1950’s Fat Jiggling Machine and Here’s What Happened” had me laughing all the way through.

As a physician, I’ve always looked for scientific evidence to validate my healthcare decisions. However, as a person with Parkinson’s Disease, I find myself occasionally turning to therapies or concepts that haven’t been proved conclusively in an effort to minimize my symptoms or perhaps delay progression of the disease. Some of the encouraging articles I found are included below in the list of references. Recalling the three weeks of decreased symptoms, I decided to be my own one-patient case study and give WBV a try.

Back at my laptop, I entered my sit-at-home shopping mall, aka, Amazon. There were over 200 machines advertised from $84.99 to $4,699.00.  I chose one, pushed the credit card button and voila…I was the proud owner of a  machine costing about $150.00. It was love at first sight. My use is somewhat unorthodox. Because of my bilateral above knee amputations, I sit on the platform rather than stand. The first ten minutes I use the low speed settings and then push it up to a higher frequency for another five or ten minutes. Part of the time I just sit, part of the time I stretch and actively exercise. Mind you, this does not replace my regular exercise regimen. You can check out a list of some of the seated cardio video workouts I use on my resources web page

So there you have it. My unconventional, but helpful way of alleviating some of my Parkinson’s rigidity and anxiety. Feel free to email me things you’ve tried in order to minimize your symptoms.

REFERNCES

Passive Exercise:Whole Body Vibration and More.

Do Vibration Exercise Machines Work?

The Effects of Random Whole Body Vibration on Motor Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease

Whole Body Vibration Exercise: Are Vibrations Good for You?

Whole-Body Vibration Training and Bone Health in Postmenopausal Women. A Systematic Review and Meta Analysis