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Effects of temperature on vibration-induced damage in nerves and arteries.

Vasospastic episodes in hand-arm vibration syndrome are more prevalent among power-tool workers in cold climates. To test whether cold enhances vibration-induced damage in arteries and nerves, tails of Sprague-Dawley rats were vibrated at room temperature (RT) or with tail cooling (<15 degrees C). Cold vibration resulted in a colder tail than either treatment alone. Vibration at both temperatures reduced arterial lumen size. RT vibration generated more vacuoles in arteries than cold vibration. Vibration and cold induced nitration of tyrosine residues in arteries, suggesting free-radical production. Vibration and cold generated similar percentages of myelinated axons with disrupted myelin. Cold with and without vibration caused intraneural edema and dilation of arterioles and venules with blood stasis, whereas vibration alone did not. The similarities, differences, and interactive effects of cold and vibration on nerve and artery damage indicate that temperature is involved mechanistically in the pathophysiology of hand-arm vibration syndrome.

Animals↗

Kinaesthetic role of muscle afferents in man, studied by tendon vibration and microneurography.

The characteristics of vibration-induced illusory joint movements were studied in healthy human subjects. Unseen by the subject, constant frequency vibration trains applied to the distal tendon of the Triceps or Biceps induced an almost constant velocity illusory movement of the elbow whose direction corresponded to that of a joint rotation stretching the vibrated muscle. Vibration trains of the same duration and frequency applied alternatively to the Biceps and Triceps evoked alternating flexion-extension illusory movements. During successive application of vibration trains at frequencies from 10 to 120 Hz, the perceived velocity of the illustory movements increased progressively from 10 to 70-80 Hz, then decreased from 80 to 120 Hz. The maximal perceived velocity was three times higher during alternating vibration of the Biceps and Triceps than during single muscle stimulation. Unit activity from 15 muscle spindle primary endings and five secondary endings located in Tibialis anterior and Extensor digitorum longus muscles were recorded using microneurography in order to study their responses to tendon vibration and passive and active movements of the ankle. Primary endings were all activated by low amplitude tendon vibration (0.2-0.5 mm) previously used to induce illusory movements of the elbow. The discharge of some was phase-locked with the vibration cycle up to 120 Hz, while others responded one-to-one to the vibration cycle up to 30-50 Hz, then fired in a sub-harmonic manner at higher frequencies. Secondary endings were much less sensitive to low amplitude tendon vibration. Primary and secondary ending responses to ramp and sinusoidal movements of the ankle joint were compared. During the movement, the primary ending discharge frequency was almost constant, while the secondary ending activity progressively increased. During ankle movements the primary ending discharge appeared mainly related to velocity, while some secondary activities seemed related to both movement velocity and joint angle position. Muscle spindle sensory ending responses to active and passive ankle movements stretching the receptor-bearing muscle (plantar flexion) were qualitatively and quantitatively similar. During passive reverse movements (dorsiflexion) most of the sensory endings stopped firing when their muscle shortened. Active muscle shortening (isotonic contraction) modulated differently the muscle spindle sensory ending discharge, which could stop completely, decrease or some times increase during active ankle dorsiflexion. During isometric contraction most of the muscle spindle sensory endings were activated. The characteristics of the vibration-induced illusory movements and the muscle spindle responses to tendon vibration and to active and passive joint movements strengthened the possibility of the contribution of primary endings to kinesthesia, as suggested by several previous works...

Adolescent↗

Vibration in operating heavy haul trucks in overburden mining.

The objective of this study was to determine if the vibration in sagittal (x), coronal (y) and vertical (z) axes of the seat pan of the heavy haul trucks used in overburden mining, and the vibration experienced by the drivers at the third lumbar and seventh cervical vertebral levels in operating these trucks exceeded the ISO standards, thereby posing threat to safety. A new and an old truck of two different makes and different carrying capacities (200 and 300 series) were instrumented with a triaxial accelerometer on the seat pan. Fourteen drivers (8 male and 6 female) were instrumented with a triaxial accelerometer at C7 and L3 spinous processes. The vibration at the seat pan, C7, and L3 levels were recorded using an onboard computer with PCMCIA card and, compared against the ISO standards. The vertical vibration of the seat pan in the entire sample ranged from a low of .37 m/s2 to a high of 11.73 m/s2. The vibration at the lumbar level in the sample ranged between .34 and 2.72 m/s2. The values for cervical level vertical vibration in the sample ranged between .2 and 2.22 m/s2. The gender of the driver, truck make, and it's carrying capacity did not have a significant effect on the vibration. However, the body weight of the driver, the segment of the truck and the site of measurement revealed significant differences in vibration (p < 0.001). Out of a total 36 combinations (4 trucks x 9 recording locations) the seat pan vertical vibration exceeded the ISO standards 8 times for males and 9 times for females. The lumbar vertebral vertical vibration in males exceeded ISO standards 12 times and in females 11 times. The cervical vertebral vertical vibration exceeded ISO standards once in females only. However, in sagittal and coronal planes the whole body vibration exceeded the ISO standards many times. Heavy haul trucks (240 and 320 ton capacity) frequently generated vibrations in excess of ISO standards in overburden mining operation representing a health hazard.

Adult↗

Low-intensity, high-frequency vibration appears to prevent the decrease in strength of the femur and tibia associated with ovariectomy of adult rats.

The effect of low-intensity, high-frequency vibration on bone mass, bone strength, and skeletal muscle mass was studied in an adult ovariectomized (OVX) rat model. One-year-old female rats were allocated randomly to the following groups: start control, sham OVX, OVX without vibration, OVX with vibration at 17 Hz (0.5g), OVX with vibration at 30 Hz (1.5g), OVX with vibration at 45 Hz (3.0g). Vibrations were given 30 min/day for 90 days. During vibration each group of rats was placed in a box on top of the vibration motor. The amplitude of the vibration motor was 1.0 mm. The animals were labeled with calcein at day 63 and with tetracycline at day 84. The tibia middiaphysis was studied by mechanical testing and dynamic histomorphometry and the femur distal metaphysis by mechanical compression. OVX without vibration increased the periosteal bone formation rate and increased the medullary cross-sectional area, i.e., increased the endocortical resorption and outward anteromedial and lateral drifts of cortical bone at the tibia middiaphysis. OVX also resulted in a reduced maximum bending stress of the tibia diaphysis and a reduced compressive stress of the femur distal metaphysis. Vibration at the highest intensity, i.e., 45 Hz, of OVX rats induced a further increase in periosteal bone formation rate and inhibited the endocortical resorption seen in OVX rats. Furthermore, vibration at 45 Hz inhibited the decline in maximum bending stress and compressive stress induced by OVX. Neither OVX nor OVX with vibration influenced skeletal muscle mass. In conclusion, the results support the idea of a possible beneficial effect of passive physical loading on the preservation of bone in OVX animals.

Animals↗

Sensorineural hearing loss after vibration: an animal model for evaluating prevention and treatment of inner ear hearing loss.

Sensorineural hearing loss following a variety of acoustic trauma, including middle ear surgery, is well known. Current literature, which points to the deleterious influence of noise on the inner ear during surgery, has yet to assess the influence of vibration generated by the burr. The purpose of the study reported here was to establish an animal model that mimics drilling and can be used to explore methods of hearing loss prevention and treatment. A specially developed electromagnetic vibrator was calibrated and used in 59 guinea pigs to induce hearing loss. Both young and old guinea pigs were used. The bony external ear canal of guinea pigs were exposed to vibration or sound of varying duration and intensity. The vibration of the temporal bone and noise level in the middle ear were measured. Electrocochleography was recorded to evaluate the hearing loss. Among the young animals, 90% developed a significant threshold shift (TS > 20 dB), when vibrated with 250 Hz at an intensity of 6.2 m/s2 for 15 min. An average of 42 dB TS was observed. With 10 min exposure 63% showed a TS. The older animals vibrated for 5 min developed the same TS (mean TS 34 dB) as the young animals when vibrated for 10 min. The vibration-induced TS showed no recovery within 3 days of observation. In the contralateral ear 4 out of 5 animals showed TS > 20 dB. When exposed to sound levels exceeding the vibration-generated sound in the middle ear (119 dB at 250 Hz) only 2 out of II animals (18%) showed TS. The frequency of TS and level of TS were significantly greater in the vibrated animals than in sound-only exposed animals (p < 0.01). The degree of vibration-induced TS in the present animal model could be controlled by vibration intensity and duration. The older animals were more susceptible to vibration-induced inner-ear damage than younger animals. This model will be used in further studies to find methods for prevention and treatment of hearing loss during ear surgery.

Animals↗

Enhancement by agonist or antagonist muscle vibration of tremor at the elastically loaded human elbow.

1. Human subjects attempted to maintain a constant force by flexing their elbow against a spring which was attached to a force transducer at one end and the subject's wrist at the other. The tremor at 8-12 Hz which develops in this situation was enhanced in amplitude with negligible change of frequency by applying vibration at 100 Hz to the tendon either of an agonist muscle (biceps brachii) or of the antagonist (triceps brachii). The tremor was assessed by spectral analysis of the force records and measurement of the peaks in the spectra. The compliance of the spring was normally 2.8 N/mm and target forces of 40-120 N were used. 2. The percentage increase in the tremor on applying vibration was relatively independent of target force, although the absolute amounts of tremor increased markedly with increasing target force. The average increase was greater for vibration of triceps than for biceps (70% as opposed to 37%, averaged between subjects and over a range of forces). 3. When the spring was replaced by a rigid connexion there was usually no clear tremor peak either in the presence or absence of vibration. Vibration, however, tended to increase the general noisiness of the force signal. 4. Qualitatively similar effects were seen when the elbow exerted an extending force so that triceps became the agonist and biceps the antagonist. 5. The tremor peak present in the spectrum of the demodulated electromyogram during vigorous tremor increased in size when vibration made the tremor larger. 6. The effect of a rhythmic afferent input was studied by modulating the amplitude of the vibration at 8-9 Hz, to correspond to the tremor frequency, while the subject pulled against a rigid attachment. Both the e.m.g. and the tension spectra contained peaks at the modulation frequency. The raw force records showed that, with reference to the modulation, the effects of biceps and of triceps vibration were approximately 180 degrees out of phase with each other, as would occur if vibration of one were having an excitatory action, and vibration of the other an inhibitory action. Moreover, in each case the effect on force (whether excitatory or inhibitory) lagged about half a cycle on the vibration envelope, as required for such reflexes to help in the generation of tremor. 7. It is suggested that vibration increases the modulation of Ia firing elicited by a given movement tremor and this, by means of the stretch reflex arc, enhanced the tremor. The powerful action of vibration of the antagonist illustrates, it would seem, the functional effectiveness under normal conditions of a spinal inhibitory pathway, most probably the Ia disynaptic route. The findings are also discussed in relation to the increase in stretch reflex gain that occurs in association with increasing strength of voluntary contraction.

Adolescent↗

Prolonged vibration of the biceps brachii tendon reduces time to failure when maintaining arm position with a submaximal load.

Vibration reduces the amplitudes of the tendon jerk response and the Hoffmann and stretch reflexes in the muscle exposed to the vibration, yet does not alter the time to task failure when the task involves exerting a submaximal force against a rigid restraint. Because the amplitude of the stretch reflex is greater when a limb acts against a compliant load than a rigid restraint, the purpose was to determine the influence of prolonged tendon vibration on the time to failure when maintaining limb position with the elbow flexor muscles. Twenty-five healthy men performed the fatiguing contraction by maintaining elbow angle at 1.57 rad until failure while supporting a load equal to 20% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) force. The fatiguing contraction was performed on 3 separate days with different levels of vibration applied to the biceps brachii tendon: no vibration, subthreshold for a tonic vibration reflex (TVR), and suprathreshold for a TVR. MVC force before the fatiguing contraction was similar across the three sessions (mean of 3 sessions: 313 +/- 54 N, P = 0.83). Despite a similar decline in MVC force after the fatiguing contraction across conditions (-18.0 +/- 8.0%, P > 0.05), the time to task failure was 3.7 +/- 1.4 min for the suprathreshold TVR condition, 4.3 +/- 2.1 min for the subthreshold TVR condition, and 5.0 +/- 2.2 min for the no-vibration condition (P < 0 0.001). The average EMG of the elbow flexor muscles was similar (P = 0.22) during the fatiguing contractions. However, the fluctuations in limb acceleration at task onset were greater for the suprathreshold TVR condition (P < 0.01), but were not different between the subthreshold TVR and no-vibration conditions (P > or = 0.22). Furthermore, the difference in the SD of limb acceleration between the no-vibration and vibration conditions was correlated with the difference in time to failure for the no-vibration and subthreshold TVR conditions (P = 0.03; r2 = 0.22), but not for the no-vibration and suprathreshold TVR conditions (P = 0.90; r2 = 0.001). These findings indicate that prolonged vibration reduced the time to failure of a sustained contraction when subjects maintained limb position, suggesting that peripheral inputs to the motor neuron pool play a significant role in sustaining a contraction during tasks that require active control of limb position.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Influence of leg muscle vibration on human walking.

We studied the effect of vibratory stimulation of different leg muscles [bilateral quadriceps (Q), hamstring (HS) muscles, triceps surae (TS), and tibialis anterior (TA)] in seven normal subjects during 1) quiet standing, 2) stepping in place movements, and 3) walking on the treadmill. The experiments were performed in a dimly illuminated room, and the subjects were given the instruction not to resist the applied perturbation. In one condition the velocity of the treadmill was controlled by a feedback from the subject's current position. In normal standing, TA vibration elicited a prominent forward body tilt, whereas HS and TS vibration elicited backward trunk or whole body inclination, respectively. Q vibration had little effect. During stepping in place, continuous HS vibration produced an involuntary forward stepping at about 0.3 m s(-1) without modifying the stepping frequency. When the subjects (with eyes closed) kept a hand contact with an external still object, they did not move forward but perceived an illusory forward leg flexion relative to the trunk. Q, TS, and TA vibration did not cause any systematic body translation nor illusory changes in body configuration. In treadmill locomotion, HS vibration produced an involuntary steplike increase of walking speed (by 0.1-0.6 m.s(-1)). Continuous vibration elicited larger speed increments than phasic stimulation during swing or stance phase. For phasic stimulation, HS vibration tended to be more effective when applied during swing than during stance phase. Q, TA, and TS vibration had little if any effect. Vibration of thigh muscles altered the walking speed depending on the direction of progression. During backward locomotion, the walking speed tended to decrease after HS vibration, whereas it significantly increased after Q vibration. Thus the influence of leg muscle vibration on stepping in place and locomotion differed significantly from that on normal posture. We suggest that the proprioceptive input from thigh muscles may convey information about the velocity of the foot movement relative to the trunk.

Adult↗

Effect of 8-month vertical whole body vibration on bone, muscle performance, and body balance: a randomized controlled study.

Recent animal studies have given evidence that vibration loading may be an efficient and safe way to improve mass and mechanical competence of bone, thus providing great potential for preventing and treating osteoporosis. Randomized controlled trials on the safety and efficacy of the vibration on human skeleton are, however, lacking. This randomized controlled intervention trial was designed to assess the effects of an 8-month whole body vibration intervention on bone, muscular performance, and body balance in young and healthy adults. Fifty-six volunteers (21 men and 35 women; age, 19-38 years) were randomly assigned to the vibration group or control group. The vibration intervention consisted of an 8-month whole body vibration (4 min/day, 3-5 times per week). During the 4-minute vibration program, the platform oscillated in an ascending order from 25 to 45 Hz, corresponding to estimated maximum vertical accelerations from 2 g to 8 g. Mass, structure, and estimated strength of bone at the distal tibia and tibial shaft were assessed by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) at baseline and at 8 months. Bone mineral content was measured at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, trochanter, calcaneus, and distal radius using DXA at baseline and after the 8-month intervention. Serum markers of bone turnover were determined at baseline and 3, 6, and 8 months. Five performance tests (vertical jump, isometric extension strength of the lower extremities, grip strength, shuttle run, and postural sway) were performed at baseline and after the 8-month intervention. The 8-month vibration intervention succeeded well and was safe to perform but had no effect on mass, structure, or estimated strength of bone at any skeletal site. Serum markers of bone turnover did not change during the vibration intervention. However, at 8 months, a 7.8% net benefit in the vertical jump height was observed in the vibration group (95% CI, 2.8-13.1%; p = 0.003). On the other performance and balance tests, the vibration intervention had no effect. In conclusion, the studied whole body vibration program had no effect on bones of young, healthy adults, but instead, increased vertical jump height. Future human studies are needed before clinical recommendations for vibration exercise.

Adult↗

Vibration training: an overview of the area, training consequences, and future considerations.

The effects of vibration on the human body have been documented for many years. Recently, the use of vibration for improving the training regimes of athletes has been investigated. Vibration has been used during strength-training movements such as elbow flexion, and vibration has also been applied to the entire body by having subjects stand on vibration platforms. Exposure to whole-body vibration has also resulted in a significant improvement in power output in the postvibratory period and has been demonstrated to induce significant changes in the resting hormonal profiles of men. In addition to the potential training effects of vibration, the improvement in power output that is observed in the postvibratory period may also lead to better warm-up protocols for athletes competing in sporting events that require high amounts of power output. These observations provide the possibility of new and improved methods of augmenting the training and performance of athletes through the use vibration training. Despite the potential benefits of vibration training, there is substantial evidence regarding the negative effects of vibration on the human body. In conclusion, the potential of vibration treatment to enhance the training regimes of athletes appears quite promising. It is essential though that a thorough understanding of the implications of this type of treatment be acquired prior to its use in athletic situations. Future research should be done with the aim of understanding the biological effects of vibration on muscle performance and also the effects of different vibration protocols on muscle performance.

Clinical Protocols↗

Human postural response to lower leg muscle vibration of different duration.

Body lean response to bilateral vibrations of soleus muscles were investigated in order to understand the influence of proprioceptive input from lower leg in human stance control. Proprioceptive stimulation was applied to 17 healthy subjects by two vibrators placed on the soleus muscles. Frequency and amplitude of vibration were 60 Hz and 1 mm, respectively. Vibration was applied after a 30 s of baseline. The vibration duration of 10, 20, 30 s respectively was used with following 30 s rest. Subjects stood on the force platform with eyes closed. Postural responses were characterized by center of pressure (CoP) displacements in the anterior-posterior (AP) direction. The CoP-AP shifts as well as their amplitudes and velocities were analyzed before, during and after vibration. Vibration of soleus muscles gradually increased backward body tilts. There was a clear dependence of the magnitude of final CoP shift on the duration of vibration. The amplitude and velocity of body sway increased during vibration and amplitude was significantly modulated by duration of vibration as well. Comparison of amplitude and velocity of body sway before and after vibration showed significant post-effects. Presented findings showed that somatosensory stimulation has a long-term, direction-specific influence on the control of postural orientation during stance. Further, the proprioceptive input altered by soleus muscles vibration showed significant changes in postural equilibrium during period of vibration with interesting post-effects also.

Adult↗

Acute response of finger circulation to force and vibration applied to the palm of the hand.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the effects of force at the palm on acute changes in finger circulation during exposure to vibration. METHODS: Ten persons attended five sessions consisting of the following five successive 5-minute periods: (i) no force and no vibration, (ii) force and no vibration, (iii) force and vibration, (iv) force and no vibration, and (v) no force and no vibration. During the second and fourth periods, the palm of the right hand applied 5 N or 20 N to a platform that vibrated (125 Hz, 64 m/s2 root mean square) during the third period. Finger blood flow was measured in the middle and little fingers of the right (exposed) hand and the middle finger of the left (unexposed) hand. RESULTS: A force of 20 N alone reduced the mean finger blood flow in the ipsilateral and contralateral fingers. Finger blood flow was also reduced by vibration, with greater reductions when vibration was combined with 20 N of force. Vibration caused vasoconstriction in the fingers of both the vibrated and nonvibrated hands. CONCLUSIONS: Force applied to the palm reduced blood flow in the fingers of the exposed hand, probably due to compression of the vascular system supplying the fingers. There was evidence that force may reduce finger blood flow in the contralateral hand, possibly due to a central sympathetic effect. Vibration at 125 Hz applied to the palm of the hand reduced finger blood flow in fingers of that hand and also in a finger of the contralateral hand. In this study, any local effects of vibration were less than those of central sympathetic origin.

Adult↗

[Vibration syndrome and occupational exposure in Poland].

The objective of the study was to analyse the data on the exposure to vibration, and the incidence of vibration syndrome in individual branches of the national economy and voivodships. The data were obtained from the records of The Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine in Lódź, containing reports submitted to the Institute every three years, and the literature on fragmentary analyses of this kind of exposure. Although, the number of persons exposed to vibration, and the incidence of occupational diseases induced by vibration have decreased, the material collected provide evidence that vibration syndrome still plays an essential role in occupational pathology. The decrease in the vibration syndrome incidence observed during the years 1982-97 was lower than the decline in the number of persons exposed to vibration, but the ratio of the number of cases to the number of those exposed remained unchanged (2.1). In 1994-97, forestry workers constituted the largest working population exposed to vibration, and the number of persons with diagnosed vibration syndrome significantly increased, however, exposure to vibration in this branch of economy considerably declined. In the mining industry, a significant decrease in the number of persons exposed to vibration, as well as in the incidence of vibration syndrome was observed at that time. The worse situation in forestry might result from the past negligence of hygiene norms or less effective diagnosis in early stages of the disease development. The lack of measuring and monitoring of vibration intensity in the working environment is an alarming observation in view of the fact that both the number of persons exposed, and the incidence of occupational diseases caused by this kind of exposure are still high.

Adult↗

Comparison of continuous and intermittent vibration effects on rat-tail artery and nerve.

Hand-transmitted vibration from powered-tools can cause peripheral vasospasm and neuropathy. A rat-tail model was used to investigate whether the pattern of vibration influenced the type and severity of tissue damage. The tails of awake rats were vibrated continuously or intermittently for a total of 4 hours at 60 HZ, 49 m/s(2). Nerves and arteries were harvested immediately or 24 hours after treatment. Tails subjected to intermittent vibration showed transiently increased sensitivity to thermal stimuli. Intermittent vibration caused the most nerve injury immediately and 24 hours after vibration. Continuous vibration invoked a persistent reduction in vascular lumen size. Compared to epinephrine-induced transient vacuolation in vascular smooth muscle cells, both continuous and intermittent vibration caused greater persistence of vacuoles, indicating a vibration-induced pathological process. All vibration groups exhibited elevated nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity indicative of free-radical damage. Pattern of vibration exposure may exert a major influence on the type of vibration injury.

Animals↗

Sound and vibration sensitivity of VIIIth nerve fibers in the frogs Leptodactylus albilabris and Rana pipiens pipiens.

1. Responses of 73 fibers to dorso-ventral vibration were recorded in the saccular and utricular branchlets of Rana pipiens pipiens using a ventral approach. The saccular branchlet contained nearly exclusively vibration-sensitive fibers (33 out of 36) with best frequencies (BFs) between 10 and 70 Hz, whereas none of the 37 fibers encountered in the utricular branchlet responded to dorso-ventral vibrations. 2. Using a dorsal approach we recorded from the VIIIth nerve near its entry in the brainstem and analyzed responses to both sound and vibration stimuli for 65 fibers in R. pipiens pipiens and 25 fibers in Leptodactylus albilabris. The fibers were classified as amphibian papilla (AP), basilar papilla (BP), saccular or vestibular fibers based on their location in the nerve. Only AP and saccular fibers responded to vibrations. The AP-fibers responded to vibrations from 0.01 cm/s2 and to sound from 40 dB SPL by increasing their spike rate. Best frequencies (BFs) ranged from 60 to 900 Hz, and only fibers with BFs below 500 Hz responded to vibrations. The fibers had identical BF's for sound and vibration. The saccular fibers had BFs ranging from 10 to 80 Hz with 22 fibers having BFs at 40-50 Hz. The fibers responded to sound from 70 dB SPL and to vibrations from 0.01 cm/s2. 3. No differences in sensitivity, tuning or phase-locking were found between the two species, except that most BP-fibers in R. pipiens pipiens had BFs from 1.2 to 1.4 kHz, whereas those in L. albilabris had BFs from 2.0 to 2.2 kHz (matching the energy peak of L. albilabris' mating call). 4. The finding that the low-frequency amphibian papilla fibers are extremely sensitive to vibrations raises questions regarding their function in the behaving animal. They may be substrate vibration receptors, respond to sound-induced vibrations or bone-conducted sound.

Animals↗

Alteration of proprioceptive messages induced by tendon vibration in man: a microneurographic study.

The activities of single proprioceptive fibres were recorded from the lateral peroneal nerve using transcutaneously implanted tungsten microelectrodes. Unitary discharges originating from muscle spindle primary and secondary endings and Golgi tendon organs were identified by means of various physiological tests. The sensitivity of proprioceptors to mechanical vibrations with a constant low amplitude (0.2-0.5 mm) applied at various frequencies to the tendon of the receptor-bearing muscle was studied. Muscle spindle primary endings (Ia fibres) were found to be the most sensitive to this mechanical stimulus. In some cases their discharge could be driven in a one-to-one manner up to 180 Hz. Most of them also fired harmonically with the vibration up to 80 Hz and then discharged in a subharmonic manner (1/2-1/3) with increasing vibration frequencies. Muscle spindle secondary endings (II fibres) and Golgi tendon organs (Ib fibres) were found to be either insensitive or only slightly sensitive to tendon vibration in relaxed muscles. The effects of tendon vibration on muscle spindle sensory endings response to muscle lengthening and shortening induced by imposed constant velocity or sinusoidal movements of the ankle joint were studied. Modulation of the proprioceptive discharge frequency coding the various joint movement parameters was either completely or partly masked by the receptor response to vibration, depending on the vibration frequency. Moreover, vibrations combined with sinusoidal joint movements elicited quantitatively erroneous proprioceptive messages concerning the movement parameters (amplitude, velocity). The sensitivity of the Golgi tendon organs to vibration increased greatly when the receptor-bearing muscle was tonically contracted. These data confirm that vibration is able to preferentially activate the Ia afferent channel, even when the vibration amplitude is low. They define the frequency sensitivity of the muscle spindle primary and secondary endings and the Golgi tendon organs. They also show that the physiological messages triggered by ongoing motor activities undergo a series of changes during the exposure of muscles to vibration.

Action Potentials↗

Hearing threshold and heart rate in men after repeated exposure to dynamic muscle work, sinusoidal vs stochastic whole body vibration and stable broadband noise.

Changes in the temporary hearing threshold ( TTS2 ) and heart rate (HR) were examined in subjects exposed to stable noise, whole body vibration and dynamic muscular work at a dry-bulb temperature of 30 degrees C. The exposure combinations consisted of three categories of dynamic muscular work with varying loads ( 2W , 4W , 8W ), of two categories of noise and of three categories of vibration. The noise categories were: (1) no noise, and (2) stable, broadband (bandwidth 0.2-16.0 kHz) A-weighted noise with an intensity of 90 dB. The vibration categories were: (1) no vibration, (2) sinusoidal whole body vibration (Z-axis) with a frequency of 5 Hz, and (3) stochastic broadband (bandwidth 2.8-11.2 Hz) whole body vibration. A single test consisted of a control period of 30 min, three consecutive exposure periods of 16 min, each followed by a 4-min post-exposure interval and a recovery period of 15 min. The results of the variance analyses indicated that noise had the most notable effect on the TTS2 values at the hearing frequencies of both 4 and 6 kHz. Of the paired combinations, noise plus vibration and noise plus dynamic muscular work caused the most obvious combined effects. The combined effect of all three factors (noise, vibration and work) on the TTS2 values after three consecutive exposure periods was significant at the 2.5% level at the 4 kHz hearing frequency and at the 5% level at the 6 kHz hearing frequency. The added effect of vibration on enhanced TTS2 values was particularly clear when the vibration was stochastic and when the subjects had a low ( 2W ) working efficiency. Increasing the working efficiency, on the other hand, seemed to retard increases in the hearing threshold. Thus TTS2 values seemed to reflect the changes in HR values. It is as if the low rate of cardiovascular activity during light dynamic muscular work had enabled the manifestation of the cardiovascular effects of noise and vibration; during strenuous dynamic muscular work, however, the high rate of cardiovascular activity aimed in some way at compensating for the effects of noise and vibration on blood circulation.

Adult↗

Preliminary evaluation of dose-effect relationships for vibration induced white finger in Japan.

Habitual use of many vibrating tools has been found to be connected with the appearance of various disorders affecting the blood vessels, nerves, bones, joints, muscles or connective tissues of the hand and forearm. The vibration exposures required to cause these diseases are not known exactly, either with respect to vibration intensity and the vibration frequency spectrum, or with respect to daily exposure time and total exposure period. The purpose of this study is to investigate available data on the physical conditions in Japan that have caused vibration induced white finger (VWF) and attempt to establish approximate relationships between vibration conditions and prevalence of VWF. The vibration conditions were evaluated using the method of vibration assessment recommended by the International Standardized Organization, which uses the weighted vibration level of the frequency weighted, dominant, single axis component of vibration directed into the hand. A clear correlation between level, prevalence of VWF and exposure period can be found. The results also suggest the relationship between the weighted levels and latent intervals. These dose-effect relationships enable the prediction of the average latent interval for a population group and the range of progression of the disorders--all from a measurement of the vibration entering the hands. In Japanese cases, 4, 8, and 15% of VWF prevalence correspond with 10, 20, and 40% of VWF prevalence in the Draft International Standard ISO/DIS 5349 (1982) within the weighted vibration level range of 2 to 50m X s-2.

Adult↗