Vibration is used widely across physiotherapy. Slow rhythmical rocking via horseback (hippotherapy) or being sat upon a top loading washing machine reduces high muscle tone and tremor. Middle frequency percussive massage like tapotement or via handheld machines ‘wakes up’ the nervous system when applied to muscles and loosen lung secretions when applied with a cupped hand upon the chest wall. High frequency vibration via hand held devices (including battery powered phallic-shaped models) stimulate local low muscle tone and facilitate muscle contraction, whilst whole body vibration platforms improve muscle strength and bone density through the creation of higher artificial G-forces.
Ancient Greek doctors first achieved a vibratory sensation by sawing pieces of wood or plucking large instruments, and Lucious Anneaus Seneca referenced the benefits of carriage rides with irregular wheels on uneven terrain. Two thousand years later, in the 1800’s French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot invented a chair that would mimic the movement of rocking carriages after he heard anecdotal evidence that patients with Parkinson’s disease noticed reduced pathology following long train rides.
Swedish doctor Jonas Gustav Zander established what we know as the modern gym and with the ‘Zanderapparat F2′ simulated a jog trot similar to the experience of riding a horse. In 1895, Dr John Kellogg of the American sanitarium and cornflakes breakfast cereal improved upon Zander’s design and invented the first steam powered whole body vibration machines. After a decline in interest during two world wars, successful use of whole body vibration by Russian Olympians and cosmonauts in the 1970’s stimulated the manufacture of commercial platforms for home, gym and clinic.
Description provided Glenn Ruscoe of Australia
