How it works

Vibration of the muscles stimulates the primary endings of the muscle spindle, which excites moto-neurons, causing a reflexive contraction of the muscle (referred to as a tonic vibration reflex). This is a neurological response. The simplest way to think of this is when you have your knee reflex tested by tapping under the kneecap. The leg suddenly extends itself when the tap applies. Vibration improves the synchronisation of motor units and can improve the neurological response to muscle contractions allowing more complete activation of the prime movers of a specific movement and better co-ordination of the activation of relevant muscles.