P 53. Galvanic labyrinth polarization for holistic musculoskeletal therapy

Abstract

Introduction. Acute and chronic pain syndromes of the spine are caused by multiple factors. Often pain syndromes are induced by imbalanced posture due to defective position in facette joints of the spine and by pathological stress of the autochthone and spinal muscles and tendons. From this a vicious circle follows. Due to high permanent pressure on one side and high permanent pull on the other, pain induced by inflammation and finally structural lesions of the bone develop. In this study the application of galvanic labyrinth polarization (Swing Symphonie) is used to interrupt the mentioned circuit of imbalance and pain. Material and Methods. Tests were performed on 14 subjects. All subjects were free of any cardiovascular, CNS, cochlear or vestibular disorder. Further, the integrity of the peripheral vestibular system was examined by head impulse testing (Halmagyi & Curthoys, 1988; Halmagyi et al., 1990) and additional one-sided galvanic labyrinth stimulation in combination with oculography, both of which confirmed the healthy vestibular status of the volunteers. In two pilot series Swing Symphonie was employed. In series 1 (n=10) the effect to stress relaxation and autonomic function were examined. Before and after stimulation a questionnaire had to be filled. Also, skin resistance, heart rate and respiratory frequency were measured. In series 2 (n=5x3) the effect to pain reduction was examined. Five subjects were investigated three times. Two subjects suffered from headache, three from spinal pain induced by degenerative disease. For series 2 the common diagnostic tests and scans were performed beforehand. No necessary therapy was missed. Swing Symphonie to the inner ear does not influence the labyrinth or cochlea as such, but rather the activity of the neurons in the vestibular nerve at the postsynaptic membrane (Goldberg et al., 1982, 1984; Smith &Goldberg, 1986; Schlosser, 1999). Sinusoidal stimulation was employed throughout the study. Electrodes were attached to the right and left mastoids and two additional electrodes were attached interscapular just medial to the superior angulus of the scapula A 2.0-Hz sinusoidal waveform was used to drive the current output of a custom-manufactured stimulator (Neurotronix, Berlin, Germany). In all cases, pendular perception was accompanied by ocular response (videooculography), demonstrating adequate vestibular stimulation. Results . In series 1, subjects reported to feel relaxed (8/10), comfortable (9/10) and calmed (6/10) after Swing Symphonie. Heart rate (9/10) and Skin resistance (8/10) decreased significantly. In series 2 after Swing Symphonie subjects reported a distinct reduction of pain symptoms (15/15). Discussion. In this pilot study Swing Symphonie induces relaxation and relieves pain syndromes. A pain inhibiting mechanism on the level of the posterior insula has to be discussed.