In the past week, Team Health Care Clinic has been excited to introduce a new adjunctive therapy to our clinic called Rapid Release Therapy. This new therapy utilizes vibration technology to help alleviate muscle tightness, spasms, and minor aches and pains. In a blog on Rapid Release Technology’s website, one chiropractor in Florida who uses Rapid Release has found great success with numerous top-level sprinters in the world. So, how does this vibration therapy work?
How vibration affects muscles
To begin it’s important to understand how vibration works at a micro-level. When a muscle is tight, muscle spindle fibers are “set” at a rate of contraction or spasm. When a vibration stimulus is applied to a tight muscle or knot, there is activation and subsequent relaxation of these muscle spindle fibers, allowing muscles to relax.
Dr. Starr demonstrates Rapid Release Therapy
In addition, vibration helps dampen and quiet pain fibers. There are two major types of nerves that carry information to the brain. Small diameter nerves carry information about pain to the brain at a very slow rate. On the other hand, large diameter nerves carry sensation, joint position sense, proprioception, and of course, vibration information. These are carried at a very fast rate. When more large diameter nerves are stimulated, it dampens and calms the small diameter pain fibers, causing a decrease in pain. The perfect example of this is when someone hits their elbow on something. What’s the first response? Rubbing their elbow. This activates these large diameter nerves so that the pain lessens and it doesn’t hurt as much.
Why is Rapid Release Therapy better than the device I use at home?
What makes Rapid Release Therapy different from other vibration instruments is the frequency at which it works. While most vibration tools work at lower frequencies anywhere from 40-80 Hz, Rapid Release works at a frequency of 160 Hz. This major increase in the speed and frequency of which this tool works provides greater stimulation of these large diameter nerves to lessen pain.
We are excited to provide this therapy and utilize the benefits of vibration in conjunction with other therapies. Interested in trying it out? Stop in today to talk about how this new therapy in our clinic can benefit you.
Erik Starr, DC