A case study on the characterization of Whole Body Vibration platforms for medical applications

The use of whole body vibration platforms (WBVPs) is growing for rehabilitation and training applications. WBVPs affect the neuromuscular system and many studies correlate this effect to frequency, duration, acceleration, displacement amplitude and position of the human body on the footboard. Although many devices are available on the market, their performances are not well- known. This paper reports a comparison between a commercial WBVP and a prototype one, outlining the main characteristics of the platforms. The WBVPs are both designed for vertical vibrations. The commercial one shows a tilting effect at all the frequencies and the prototype one is characterized by a resonance effect at 40 Hz.