Mechanical Vibration Therapy - Observations From Years Previous, Implications In Nervous Health

[Diokine]

Therapy, in the form of applied vibration, has been used for centuries to encourage the proper flow of energy. Different pressures, frequencies, and modes of stimulation are effective at stimulating various nerve bundles and can be used to encourage fluency of life, especially in very fatigued tissues. I think you will find some of the anecdotes in this volume to be particularly tasty.

Mechanical vibration and its therapeutic application

The word vibration means "a recurrent change of po-
sition. Vibrations are movements, where the recurrent
changes of position occurring at equal intervals of time
called periods of vibration, which may be infinitesimally
short, or of sufficient duration to be noted in time,
give them the character of waves whose amplitude is
very small. Periods of vibration must not be confused
with duration of vibrating state relating to the whole.
The amplitude of the vibration may vary or be fixed in
any given apparatus, and the vibratory movement may
be simple as with the pendulum of a clock, or in the
unrestricted movement of an ordinary vibratode, or
complex as when the vibratode has not a full swing;
for example, when it meets the resisting surface of the
body of the patient. The hand may be the motor, or
the power may be liquid air, carbonic acid gas, elec-
tricity or water.

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Vibration is a subject of wide range and concept,
and a brief sketch of it has been given as a whole in
order that when we limit ourselves to one small part —
mechanical vibration, vibra-massage, or massage, we
may bear in mind particularly the import of knowl-
edge gained from experience in other lines of work, the
history of massage as it deals with manner, time, fre-
quency, etc., the consideration of all forms of light,
heat, and electricity, particularly the static with its
most pronounced vibrations, their physiological actions
and therapeutic results, and harmonic vibration with
its peculiar selectiveness. Time and energy should not
be wasted in trying to build up something entirely new
when there is so much that has been authoritatively
demonstrated, but use all that is applicable and reli-
able from whatsoever source, building thereon scien-
tifically for the advancement of vibration therapy and
in the interest of suffering humanity.

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The basis for treatment for the application of me-
chanical vibration as treated by Pilgrim is as follows :

The spinal cord is

(i) The principal seat of reflex nerve action.

(2) It is the center of the vaso-motor system.

(3) It exercises an automatic action over the arte-
rial tone and various viscera.

(4) It is the index of abnormal action in many
parts of the body."

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From this standpoint, vibratory treatment for the re-
lief of pain may be applied in three ways as
summarized by the author of the "Course on Mechanical
Vibratory Stimulation," published by the Chatta-
nooga Vibrator Company,

(1) "Application of the inhibitory stroke to the
spinal nerve centers, supplying sensory fibres to the
affected part.

(2) Stimulation of the vaso-motor centers.

(3) Inhibition of the peripheral termination of the
sensory fibres, '*

"Affected nerve centers are evidenced by the pres-
ence of muscles in a state of contraction, atrophy of
muscle or muscles overlying the posterior primary
divisions of the spinal nerves, and vertebral spread-
ing or deviation.**

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GENERAL PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF
MECHANICAL VIBRATION.

I. Mechanical — It induces the removal of extrav-
asations, lymph, exudations, and transudations, breaks
up adhesions, and stimulates the circulatory and lym-
phatic systems. It improves respiration, stimulates
excretion and secretion, relaxes over contracted parts,
and contracts relaxed parts.

2. Chemical — It assists in the interchange of
oxygen and COj and in the increase of certain waste
products as sarcolactic acid.

3. Thermal — It causes the generation of heat —
vibratory friction increases heat elimination, and deep
interrupted vibration with moderate or heavy pres-
sure by acting on muscles increases heat production.
Cutaneous and vaso-motor stimulation affect the stor-
age of heat, for when the skin and its blood-vessels
contract, the heat evolved is diminished. When they
dilate it is increased." If stimulation of sensory nerves
causes the circulation to be accelerated, the respira-
tion to be increased, the skeletal muscles to be relaxed,
"the temperature of the interior of the body and
rectum is increased," If the circulation is retarded,
respiration decreased, and the skeletal muscles con-
tracted reflexly, "the temperature of the interior of the
body and rectum is diminished.'* (Landois and Stir*
ling) "External parts give off more heat than they
produce, so that they become cooler the more slowly
new blood flows into them. Internal parts give up
heat to the blood which flows through them so ac-
celeration of blood flow decreases their temperature.
(Liebermeister) (Landois and Stirling). An increased
temperature means an increase in the number of heart
beats according to Liebermeister.

4. Physical — It assists endosmosis of the lymphat-
ics, and the physical action of respiration.

5. Metabolic — It induces anabolic or katabolic
changes affecting the fonctJonal activity of a part as in
the removal of stasis and an increase in the nutrition
of a poorly nourished muscle.

6. Reflex— It induces activities and changes in re-
lated parts through the nerve stimulation of the cen-
tral and peripheral parts of the cerebro-spinal and sym-
pathetic systems, as in its action as a sedative.

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The physiological effect of vibration, according to
Reich, is to increase "the excitability as well in the
motor as in the sensory nerves if the excitation con-
tinues for a short period, but lessens the excitability
if the time given for the vibration or concussion is
prolonged. Therefore we have reason to believe that
small excitations of long duration have the same effect
upon the nerves as strong applications which only
work once, according to Pfliiger-Arndt s law. The
skin will be pale after a short application of vibra-
tion (high frequency), but will redden after a longer
application. Therefore a contraction will be at the be-
ginning sometimes even contraction of muscles of
the skin, while vaso-dilatatton will ensue in the further
application. He believes that general vibration in-
creases the blood pressure, accelerates the circulation,
increases absorption and the secretory power of
glands. Mechanically it can favor the expulsion of
gall and kidney stones. Reflexly when vibration is ap-
plied "in the region of the roots of the spinal cord,
especially of the neck a general sense of cold results."
If applied to the spinal cord in the interscapular region
a decrease in heart rhythm ensues. "Manipula-
tions of short duration will have a stimulating and
tonic effect, while prolonged vibration will have a
quieting, analgesic, sedative effect, therefore use short
but often repeated vibrations in cases of paresis,
cutaneous anaesthesia, and when used as an analgesic.

In relaxations of contractile tissue, in weakness of
the heart, and atonic, hypertonic conditions of the in-
testinal tract as appear singly or as a symptom of
neurasthenia, or enteroptosis, in floating kidney, in
relaxations of the uterus, in hemorrhoids and pros-
tatic hypertrophy, for the sensations of lassitude of
neurasthenic patients — in all these conditions use
short but often repeated vibration.

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Von Ziemssen found that when mechanical stimuli
were applied to the heart from without, slight pres-
sure on the auriculo-ventricular groove caused a sec-
ond short contraction of both ventricles after the
heart-beat and strong pressure made the cardiac
muscle act very irregularly, which fact should be con-
sidered when exerting pressure with the vibratode over
the heart muscles:

The heart is supplied with three ganglia, two ex-
citors and one inhibitory — and branches from the
pneumogastric and also motor fibres from centers in
the brain from the spinal accessory. The latter as-
sists in inhibition (doubted by some authorities). The
accelerator nerves also supply the heart, increasing
the activity. Stimulation applied to these nerves will
affect the heart's action accordingly. The accelerator
fibres arise from the medulla, passing by the cord to
the last cervical and first dorsal of the sympathetic and
thence to the heart It is also claimed that "the
cervical sympathetic and the splanchnic contain fibres
which when their central ends are stimulated excite
the cardio-inhibitory system in the medulla oblongata
(Bernstein)

The pneumogastric nerve may be reached by tlie
operator at the anterior border of the sterno-cleido-
mastoid muscle just above where the sterno-cleido-
mastoid crosses the omo-hyoid or on either side of the
larynx above the top of the sternum. The vibratode in
making the application should be carried back and a
little below the top of the sternum. The application
should be made with care, as grave symptoms may be
induced by too great inhibition of the heart and respi-
ratory functions — too violent stimulation in some cases
might prove fatal.

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The lymphatics, which finally discharge their con-
tents into the blood stream at the junction of the sub-
clavian and internal jugular veins by means of the
thoracic duct on the left, and the right lymphatic duct
on the right, play an important part when influenced
by vibratory stimulation, particularly so in respect to
drainage and metabolism. The same is true of all
lymphatic glands — those of the neck, the mesenteric,
mediastinal, axillary, inguinal, popliteal, and the coeliac
glands. To the glands, especially, deep interrupted
vibration with moderate or deep pressure with the
rubber-covered disc or multiple point vibratode is ap-
plicable. Horvath of Keiff has discovered that bac-
teria reside mostly in the lymphatics: and Meltzer
seems recently to have demonstrated that bacteria
cannot withstand continued vibrations, which suggests
the importance of vibration of the lymphatic glands.
The lymphatic vessels, most numerous in muscle
fascia between and around the muscle in subcutaneous
tissue, are readily acted upon by vibratory friction.

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When the stroke is percussive much of "the energy
conveyed by the process (percussion) is expended on
the skin and its reflex and sensory powers are highly
stimulated by the application." The lacteals are also
susceptible to vibratory therapeutics, and their meta-
bolic processes are thereby affected. Water, pep-
tones, glucose and soluble salts pass into the general
circulation, being emptied from the hepatic vein into
the inferior vena cava. Their course is through the
lymph-spaces of the villi, passing by endosmosis
through the walls of the capillaries to the blood stream
going through the portal vein and thence to the
hepatic. The emulsified fat is forced from the villus
by the contraction of the muscles around it on into
the lacteal, and is thence carried into the general cir-
culation through the thoracic duct.

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Vibration increases the blood supply to the muscle,
renders it firmer, more healthy and more elastic. In
cases following injury it rapidly diminishes the tense
hardness due to local stasis so characteristic of the af-
fected part. After the first treatment properly admin-
istered, the part treated usually has a feeling of warmth
and comfort. The nerves supplying the striated
muscle consist of both sensory and motor fibres, the
sensory ending as a "loose network, the fibrillar of
which apparently terminate between the individual
muscle fibres and the motor ending in the end-plates.
There are also sensory end-plates in the tendon as
studied by Golgi (Piersol).

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Muscular spasms are greatly relieved by vibration.
Wry neck caused by a tonic contraction of the flexors
of the head may be greatly benefited by application of
interrupted vibration. If the head moves with each
clonic spasm the branch of the spinal accessory
nerve which supplies the sterno-mastoid muscle is
affected, in spasms of the trapezius the head is
drawn backward and to the side. Stimulation of the
outer branch of the spinal accessory (which communi-
cates with the first and sometimes with the second
cervical nerves) causes tonic or clonic spasms of the
above named muscles (sterno-mastoid and trapezius)
usually on one side. Apply interrupted vibration on
each side of the upper portion of the spine with the
ball, making about three applications from the occiput
as low as the insertion of the trapezius. When such
spasms occur apply interrupted vibration with the
ball, employing a high rate of speed and a stroke a
little more than the shortest and often a medium stroke
in order to produce a decided vibrating effect over the
painful sites and use interrupted vibration over the
motor points of the affected muscles of the neck. In
these cases painful spots are often found in the vicinity
of the sixth and seventh cervical and first few up-
per dorsal vertebrae, as well as in the region of
the first and second cervical.

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Hyperplastic, tissue firmly organized and solid, like
india rubber, and not sensitive to pressure, is probably
non-vascular, owing to its pressure upon and oblitera-
tion of the capillaries which previously nourished it.
Dr. Graham regards the treatment of hyperplastic tis-
sues unfavorably, but Billroth, Gottlieb and others
claim that by "Vigorous perseverance in manipulation,
impervious blood- and lymph-vessels may be reopened
and absorption of the adventitious tissue promoted
Mechanical vibration, like massage, is contra-indicated
when solutions of continuity or ankylosis are pres-
ent, or where there is danger of inducing auto-infec-
tion.

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[Motif]

I just bought a Vibration plate.
Lets see what it does for me