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Mechanical Vibration in Rehabilitation: State of the Art

Raoul Saggini, Simona Maria Carmignano, Tommaso Palermo and Rosa Grazia Bellomo

The mechanical vibration is the simplest and purest form of vibratory energy application in physical and rehabilitation medicine. After the first observations of the effects of vibrations, the scientific research has been directed to the identification of the molecular mechanisms that mediate signal transduction at the tissue level. Although these mechanisms are still not fully understood, and despite the adverse effects observed in subjects improperly exposed to vibratory sources for various reasons, during the last century the mode of application of mechanical vibration has gradually evolved from whole-body to focal and mechano-acoustic forms, as much as the field of application has gradually expanded spreading from the initial skeletal and muscle applications to the current motor impairment conditions associated with the most common neurological diseases.
The purpose of this brief review is to give an overview on the state of the art about the mechanical vibration in physical medicine and rehabilitation.