Osteoarthritis (OA) is often described as a disease of “wear and tear,” but as an orthopedic surgeon, I increasingly think of it as a disease of lost mobility.
Cartilage damage certainly matters, but what changes patients’ lives is what follows: pain makes movement difficult, movement decreases, muscles weaken, balance declines, and everyday activities become progressively harder.
In many cases, it is this loss of mobility (as well as the OA itself) that threatens long-term independence.
For many older adults, OA pain creates a self-perpetuating cycle. Movement hurts, so activity is reduced.
Reduced activity leads to weaker muscles, less joint support, poorer balance, and declining physical capacity.
As function deteriorates, movement becomes even more difficult, reinforcing the cycle. Fear of pain, falling, or causing further joint damage often accelerates this process, contributing not only to worsening mobility but also to declining cardiovascular fitness, metabolic health, and overall quality of life.
For this reason, successful non-operative management of OA should keep people moving.
Strengthening exercise remains a cornerstone of treatment, particularly for knee OA, because stronger muscles absorb force, stabilize the joint, and improve function.
The challenge is that many patients struggle to perform enough exercise to realize these benefits because their pain limits their ability to participate.
This is where Power Plate® whole-body vibration (WBV) can play an important role. WBV provides a low-impact neuromuscular stimulus that activates muscle while minimizing joint loading.
For patients whose pain limits conventional exercise, it can serve as a practical bridge back to movement.
In my experience, Power Plate helps many patients engage muscles more effectively, tolerate exercise with greater confidence, and reduce pain enough to remain active.
These clinical observations are supported by a growing body of research. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials in patients with knee OA found that combining WBV with strengthening exercise produced greater improvements in pain, self-reported function, Timed Up and Go performance, and knee extensor strength than strengthening exercise alone, with no reported adverse events.
From an orthopedic perspective, I do not recommend Power Plate because it reverses arthritis.
I recommend it because it is a safe, practical adjunct to conservative OA management that can help reduce pain, improve muscle activation, and make movement more achievable.
For patients who are deconditioned, hesitant, or limited by joint discomfort, it can provide an effective pathway back to regular physical activity.
Ultimately, our goal is not simply to treat an arthritic joint—it is to preserve mobility, function, and independence of patient. Every intervention that helps patients move more comfortably has the potential to improve far more than joint symptoms.
It helps maintain muscle strength, balance, cardiovascular health, and confidence while enabling people to continue participating in the activities that give life meaning.
Used appropriately, Power Plate can help interrupt the pain-avoidance cycle and support a more active, functional, and independent life despite osteoarthritis.
Dr. Joyner is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with an emphasis in sports medicine. He is a former Chairman of the United States Olympic Committee’s Sports Medicine Committee. He has been a Sr. Vice President at Baptist Health Care in Pensacola, Florida and President of their Andrews Institute for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine division.
Dr. Joyner is a former Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at the Pennsylvania State University and has been a member of Penn State’s Board of Trustees. He earned his medical degree from Penn State’s College of Medicine and served residencies in general and orthopedic surgery at the university’s Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
He also is a former Penn State Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Orthopedic Surgery. While an undergraduate student at Penn State, Dr. Joyner was an Academic All-American as well as an All-American and team captain for both football and wrestling.
