Below is a case study: Boyd-Brewer, Chris, and Ruth McCaffrey. "Vibroacoustic sound therapy improves pain management and more." Holistic Nursing Practice 18.3 (2004): 111-118.

Vibroacoustic Therapy: Sound Vibrations in Medicine Chris Boyd-Brewer, MA. FAMI

"Vibroacoustic therapy is a recently recognized technology that uses sound in the audible range to produce mechanical vibrations that are applied directly to the body. The technology uses speakers or transducers placed within mats, mattresses, chairs, recliners, tables, or soft furniture to provide a physiologic and auditory experience. Benefits include pain management, anxiety relief, symptom reduction, physical therapy, and health improvement. Three general designs of vibroacoustic technology have been developed over the past 30 years, with unique capabilities and purposes. The designs differ in the type of vibration-generating systems used; the frequencies selected for stimulus; the extent to which sound vibrations are processed, measured and monitored' and the qualities and patterns of resonance in the vibrating surfaces.

 Interest in incorporating vibroacoustics in patient care practices may be attributable to the nonpharmacologic and noninvasive nature of the technology. Because some models of vibroacoustic technology can be administered easily in nursing care, this may have also led to broad use of vibroacoustics in medical and wellness practices. 

Research and/or development of vibroacoustic use include applications to manage pain; reduced symptoms for patients in chemotherapy; reduce stress; distract patients during biopsies, aspirations, and other procedures; increase range of motion (ROM) and muscle tone and in physical therapy or rehabilitative therapy following knee replacement; help prepare patients for surgery or those who are recovering; and provide sensory stimulation for people who are hearing impaired and developmentally disabled.

 Vibroacoustics can also increase quality of life and be used to manage behavior in psychiatric settings, geriatric facilities, child life centers, and palliative care facilities. Background and History Vibrations in the audible range have been used to help bring patients back to mental, physical and emotional balance in many cultures, 1,2 Current medical technology utilized vibration in varying degrees of intensity and frequency. Ultrasonic frequencies, above the audible range, assist with diagnoses via ultrasound technology. Very high-frequency vibrations are used to shatter kidney stones and to treat tissue contractures. Complementary health practitioners use forms of inaudible sound below 20 Hz for infrasonic vibratory treatment, such as sound waves used by chiropractors to relieve joint and muscle pain. 

Vibroacoustic equipment was developed between 1970 and the late 1980s when innovative individuals recognized the value of felt vibrations combined auditory effects of music or sound. Norwegian educator and therapist Olav Skille experimented with low-frequency sounds between 20 and 120 Hz to generate vibrations for children with severe physical and mental handicaps. He developed the first VibroAcoustic Chair (Skille, Levanger, Norway) in the late 1980s, using one pulsed, sinusoidal frequency as the sound source for generating vibrations blended with music for listening.4 In the 1970s, Petri Lehikoinen, a clinical psychologist at Helsinki University, Finland, created the physioacoustic method based on scanning the body with sinusoidal sound between 27 and 113 Hz and specially selected listening music. In 1985, United States inventor Byron Eakin released his vibroacoustic system as a relaxation tool… 

Research indicates that these models may reduce anxiety, tension, and fatigue as well as managing pain and disease symptoms. Kris Chesky, director of education and research of the Texas Center for Music and Medicine at the University of North Texas, Fort Worth, designed a vibroacoustic unit in the late 1980s to facilitate scientific study of vibroacoustics. His Music Vibration Table (MVT) targets frequencies within the effective range of a natural pain-suppressing mechanism that can be stimulated by vibration. 

This sophisticated design allows for scientific measurement and control of the mechanical vibrations that make an impact on the person being stimulated. The MVT uses computers for complex sound processing and feedback capabilities. Key Acoustic and Vibration Characteristics Vibroacoustic technology is based on key acoustic principles. Sound frequencies that are input into vibroacoustic devices become mechanical vibrations felt by the body. A significant acoustic consideration in vibroacoustic design is how vibrations are received and experienced by patients. Important factors include the resonance characteristics of the vibrating surface, or vibrating membrane, and the spatial distribution of vibrations over the surface. Variation in how materials receive sound can make a significant difference in the vibration a patient receives. Placement of speakers or transducers in the equipment and the resonant quality of the vibrating membrane affect the spatial distribution of vibrations across the surface. The surface area displaced by a person on the equipment and his or her weight can also affect spatial distribution. The pattern of vibration dispersion will determine which parts of the body receive vibration dispersion will determine which parts of the body receive vibration and to what degree this happens. Most designers have experimented with these elements and each model has different qualities and patterns of resonance. 

The sound stimulus may use specific frequencies with or without music. Various sound properties can be manipulated to attain specific experiences. Sine waves have been historically considered to have unique health benefits in many cultures and are used in some vibroacoustic models. A sine wave, or pure tone, flows with a precisely matched increase and decrease of amplitude. Visually, sinusoidal waves have a smoothly rising and falling curvature exactly replicated with each cycle. These pure tones are used in some models because they do not produce overtones that could affect the vibration experience or alter the frequency dose. Some vibroacoustic designs focus on the application of sound frequencies between 27 and 135 Hz and experimentation has indicated the resulting mechanical vibrations create strong physical responses in patients.4,5,13 Use of these frequencies with Skille's VibroAcoustic equipment and selective low-frequency (SLF) models using speakers is also necessary because of the way the ear amplifies frequencies above 135 Hz* (note. - Olav Skille and Stephen Deuel at Inner Soulutions have been collaborating since 2003). The range of 60-600 Hz has been emphasized in certain vibroacoustic applications because this frequency range is known to stimulate Pacinian corpuscles, which play a key function in pain perception.11,14-16 

Most models  also incorporate full-frequency music at least for listening, based on benefits that have been recognized in music therapy,17,18 and to provide a more interesting
experience for patients.

While specific frequencies and vibration processing techniques have proven to be effective in
vibroacoustics, music may also hold essential value. Research has shown that live and recorded music can be used in treating illness and maintaining health.
Chesky, Michel, and Kondraske presented the Two-Pronged Approach conceptual model of
vibroacoustics, highlighting the powerful synergy created from integration of physiologic sound vibration and psychological stimulation from music listening.11 Vibration and music together may be more powerful than either element independently and may be especially useful in certain instances.
An important aspect of music in vibroacoustics may be the broad range of frequencies within music. The effects achieved with SLF techniques may occur naturally in the wider range of frequencies in music. There are also potential benefits or problems from the overtone frequencies within music as opposed to the pure sine waves used in some methods.
Most vibroacoustic technologies use music either in addition to low frequencies for listening benefit or as the primary stimulus. A patient's enjoyment of music may play a key role in motivating the use of vibroacoustics. The majority of patients are interested in using vibroacoustics because it is a treatment modality that is pleasing and comforting, unlike many invasive and potentially unpleasant medical procedures.

Recorded music has been designed specifically to enhance vibroacoustic effects and some
commercial recordings also work well. The MVT has the ability to process frequencies within any music selection, thus offering unlimited music selection options and allowing patients to choose their own music for effective treatment."

Boyd-Brewer, Chris, and Ruth McCaffrey. "Vibroacoustic sound therapy improves pain management and more." Holistic Nursing Practice 18.3 (2004): 111-118.

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