At Step by Step Foundation standing training is a fundamental tool in our treatment program.

The Vibration Training: the Power Plate is a vibrating platform used in the field of sports training, health and personal care. Its vibration works in 3 planes (up- down, lateral, anterior-posterior), reaching enhance stretch reflex and increasing neuromuscular single application to reduce the vibration effect and try to maintain balance.

Scientifically documented, Power Plate vibration active 30 to 50 muscle contractions per second. This work helps stability and enable up to 95 percent of muscle fibers involved in an exercise, achieving greater efficiency in each of the exercises.

At Step by Step Foundation we adapt the exercises to work with SCI clients, both paraplegics and quadriplegics, looking for the maximum performance in each of the positions in which they usually work: decubitus; sitting; hands and knees; kneeling; and standing.

«When I come to the Foundation, I like using the Power Plate. It help me to fight against spasticity. With my abdominal spasticity, it makes hard to breathe and to mobilize my legs. When I finish my workout, I am going home more relaxed»

From these exercises, our clients have expressed that after making several series of exercises, they perceive an increase in feelings or areas that do not feel and the improvement in areas where sensitivity is diminished. On the other hand, we know that the Power Plate vibration promotes increased proprioceptive notion and helps to stimulate blood circulation and lymphatic return. These effects are of aid for our physiotherapists to set our goals and to prevent complications , such as: difficulty in venous return and / or lymph in limb disabled; slowdown in the intestinal tract; and reduction of perceptual information. Finally, in patients with lower limbs or abdominal spasticity, we found that the Power Plate vibration helps to decrease the muscular hypertonia, helping to improve the function and perform daily activities on an easy way, such as get in to the car or change clothes.

However, please note that the Power Plate is contraindicated in cases of pregnancy, thrombosis, cardiovascular disease, recent surgical wounds, hip or knee prosthesis, acute disc herniation, spondylosis, diabetes, epilepsy, pacemakers, recent interventions with fixation (plates, pins, …), infections and tumors.

Helena López