Vibration syndrome has adverse circulatory and neural effects in the fingers. The signs and symptoms include numbness, pain, and blanching (turning pale and ashen). Of particular concern is evidence of advanced stages of vibration syndrome after exposures as short as one year.
Vibration-induced white finger (VWF) is the most common condition among the operators of hand-held vibrating tools. The symptoms of VWF are aggravated when the hands are exposed to cold. Vibration can cause changes in tendons, muscles, bones and joints, and can affect the nervous system.
Early signs that you are experiencing sensory nerve damage from vibration include numbness or tingling in one or more of your fingers. This sensation might come and go, and could be mild, but severe cases can lead to permanent numbness.
Vibration is transmitted into your hands and arms when using hand held / operated tools and machinery. Excessive exposure can affect the nerves, blood vessels, muscles and joints of the hand, wrist and arm causing Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS).
In the nerves, tissue edema and vasospasm from vibration exposure may cause sensory loss based on nerve demyelination, axonal atrophy and degeneration of cell bodies as well as fibrosis and proliferation of Schwann cells [2].
The longer a worker is exposed to WBV the greater the risk of health effects and musculoskeletal disorders. The most commonly reported disorder is lower-back pain. Long term exposure to WBV may cause: neck and shoulder problems.
What Does Vibration in Multiple Sclerosis Feel Like? The vibrating sensation people with MS feel generally isn't painful, but it can be annoying or confusing. “It's like throbbing vibrations,” one MyMSTeam member described. “It's not too bad, but I could really do without it.”
Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive gait and limb ataxia with associated limb muscle weakness, absent lower limb reflexes, extensor plantar responses, dysarthria, and decreased vibratory sense and proprioception.
Vibration effects
Vibration can accelerate machine wear, consume excess power, and cause equipment to be taken out of service, resulting in unplanned downtime. Other effects of vibration include safety issues and diminished working conditions.
Early stages of vibration syndrome are characterized by tingling or numbness in the fingers. Temporary tingling or numbness during or soon after use of a vibrating hand tool is not considered vibration syndrome.
The tests commence with a measure of grip strength and finger dexterity. Neurological tests involve the determination of vibrotactile perception thresholds (using the HVLab Vibrotactile Perception Meter) and thermotactile perception thresholds for hot and cold (using the HVLab Thermal Aesthesiometer).
Internal vibrations, also known as internal tremors, can feel like a person is shaking on the inside. They typically affect people with Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, or essential tremor.
Buzzing Sensations, like a sudden vibrating, electric zap, or tremor feeling anywhere on or in the body is a common anxiety disorder symptom, including anxiety and panic attacks, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias, and others.
Sit on a chair with your hands behind your back and slump forward. Then bend your neck forward and lift one leg up with the toes pointed toward you. If this causes pain, you may have a nerve problem. Then try lifting your head a little and see if the pain lessens.
An MRI may be able help identify structural lesions that may be pressing against the nerve so the problem can be corrected before permanent nerve damage occurs. Nerve damage can usually be diagnosed based on a neurological examination and can be correlated by MRI scan findings.
You feel numbness, tingling, or burning.
This sensation is an early sign of nerve damage, and may radiate from your hands or feet into your arms or legs, per the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Vibration Therapy and the Brain
First, vibration may lessen pain and reduce tremors, according to a study at the Florida State University College of Medicine. It also soothes stiffness and increases dopamine levels in the brain.
The most pronounced long-term effect of whole-body vibration is damage to the spine. The spinal region most frequently affected is the lumbar part, where spinal deformation, lumbago and sciatica can develop.