---
title: "Vibration Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease"
url: https://alsuprun.com/blog/vibration-therapy/vibration-therapy-for-parkinsons-disease-2/
author: Editorial
date: 2026-09-08T12:04:26+00:00
categories: [vibration therapy]
tags: []
---

# Vibration Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease

Tass’s team discovered that many PD symptoms occur when groups of neurons fire together abnormally at an uncontrollable pace. A vibrating stimulus at 100-300 hertz per second could desynchronize neuron firing; and that pauses between treatments were essential to its effectiveness.

 Drugs and deep brain stimulation may provide effective treatments for Parkinson’s symptoms; however, both have possible side effects that could compromise quality of life. A vibrating glove may offer an alternative method.

 

## The history

 Parkinson’s disease can make daily life challenging for those living with the disorder, with tremors and other symptoms becoming an everyday battleground. While there are various treatments available to manage symptoms such as expensive visits to doctors or expensive medication solutions available – [vibration therapy](https://alsuprun.com/) could offer an effective yet cost-efficient solution.

 [![Rejuvenate your whole body & balance your health without medications - now remotely!](https://alsuprun.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/BioresonanceTopAd.png)](https://www.bioresonance.rent) Vibration has long been used as a method to improve health. Fashionable Victorians wore vibrating belts in hopes of improving digestion or curing headaches; more recently, researchers have employed whole-body vibration to increase exercise performance and build bone strength. Furthermore, vibration has also been studied as an approach for keeping astronauts healthy during prolonged space flights.

 Studies on the effects of [vibration therapy](https://alsuprun.com/) for Parkinson’s patients have been mixed. While some have demonstrated its ability to reduce tremors, others found no impact. Recently however, research suggests that using a vibrating glove on one hand can significantly decrease tremors among individuals living with Parkinson’s.

 The results of this study were published in Frontiers in Neurology journal. It’s based on research that revisits 19th century work of neurologe Jean-Martin Charcot who developed vibrating chairs for Parkinson’s patients after noting they slept better on carriage and train journeys. His student Gilles de la Tourette then took this concept further by creating a vibrating helmet to apply vibration directly to their brains.

 [![](https://alsuprun.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/ForeverYoungYouWannaBe.png)](https://alsuprun.com/services.html#Contact) Researchers have examined whether [vibration therapy](https://alsuprun.com/) can reset the abnormal firing of neurons that cause Parkinson’s symptoms, but previous iterations of it did not include a break between sessions for maximum efficiency. Tass’s device does include this necessary element, and thus enabled his team to achieve consistent, sustained benefits for PD patients during their study.

 Though scientists do not fully understand what causes Parkinson’s Disease (PD), they know it results from a breakdown of the dopaminergic nigrostriatal system. When this happens, dopamine levels decrease, leading to motor and non-motor symptoms such as tremors and rigidity.

 

## The theory

 Vibrations have long been used as an approach for relieving tremors. First proposed by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot during long carriage or train rides, when his patients experienced improvements. Charcot created a chair which vibrated, prescribing daily 30-minute sessions for his patients; his student Gilles de la Tourette went even further, developing a helmet which applied the effects directly to their brains.

 Studies of whole body [vibration therapy](https://alsuprun.com/) for Parkinson’s have produced mixed results, often only showing short-term benefits and with only few participants involved in each experiment. While whole body vibration can strengthen muscles and improve balance, some research indicates it may not help address tremors that are the hallmark symptom of the condition.

 Vibrations may help alter how neurons fire in the brain. Parkinson’s symptoms result from cells producing dopamine – an essential chemical needed for nerve communication that affects movement and mood – becoming depleted over time, with its production eventually ceasing altogether. Drugs that mimic dopamine are common treatments; however, they may no longer work. Deep brain stimulation involving electrode implants placed directly into the brain linked to an external pacemaker-type device may be effective but also comes with risks.

 Studies suggest [vibration therapy](https://alsuprun.com/) could increase dopamine levels by altering how neurons fire in the brain. A recent study of Parkinson’s patients with mild to moderate tremors demonstrated this by showing exposure to whole-body vibration increased norepinephrine production in the hypothalamus and decreased dopamine levels elsewhere.

 [![](https://alsuprun.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/RadionicMerch.png)](https://alsuprun.com/merch.html) Vibrations may also influence other chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin and noradrenaline, but their exact impact remains less clear. Researchers examined how various intensities, frequencies and durations of whole-body vibration impacted these neurotransmitters.

 At last, they discovered that [vibrational therapy](https://alsuprun.com/) with frequencies between 100 to 300 hertz was most successful at alleviating Parkinson’s symptoms. Furthermore, pauses proved crucial – something earlier versions of [vibrational therapy](https://alsuprun.com/) failed to account for. Just like taking breaks increases study or exercise effectiveness, taking pauses allows the brain to undo any abnormal neural connectivity patterns leading to symptoms associated with Parkinson’s.

 

## The device

 Parkinson’s disease affects brain cells that produce dopamine, an essential chemical for nerve communication that influences movement, mood and behavior. Drugs mimicking dopamine are commonly prescribed as treatments; if this doesn’t work or causes side effects surgery is another possibility – although both options can be costly. “There is a real need for a middle ground between drugs and surgery,” states Leila Montaser Kouhsari of Stanford Medicine who recommends vibrating body therapy as an affordable and safe treatment that could help people better live with their condition, she adds.

 Small studies of [vibration therapy](https://alsuprun.com/) have proven its efficacy at relieving tremors and other symptoms, according to research studies. Researchers are investigating which parts of the body can most benefit, which frequencies work best and how often patients should be exposed to [vibration therapy](https://alsuprun.com/). Some are even experimenting with vibrating braces and wraps as support mechanisms against tremors; researchers are also testing CUE1+, an emerging technology with sensors attached to various points on the body such as breastbone that produces rhythmic vibrations to counter “freezing of gait,” an involuntary pause which affects more than 60% of people living with Parkinson’s and related conditions.

 Tass’ glove is the latest iteration of an invention he has worked tirelessly on for years. His team recently published in Frontiers in Physiology two pilot studies involving eight Parkinson’s patients using it for three months with at-rest electroencephalographs (EEGs) that measured brain activity; the results demonstrated how its vibrotactile coordinated reset stimulation, or VCR, improved their tremors, rigidity, slow body movement and balance.

 The VCR works by sending out patterned vibrations onto an area of skin smaller than a dime on each fingertip, similar to those produced by self-organizing processes found in clouds or snowflakes. Tass’ research into self-organization led him to this innovative solution.

 His glove provides direct stimulation of the brain. If his study proves successful, he hopes to obtain Food and Drug Administration clearance so he can sell the device commercially to Parkinson’s patients. He is currently also working with an industry partner on creating an arm version that can be worn on hands or forearms.

 

## The results

 [Vibration therapy](https://alsuprun.com/) has produced mixed results in Parkinson’s studies. While some have not observed any positive impacts, other research may show improvements to mobility and balance. Unfortunately, treatments vary greatly between studies due to factors like posture, intensity of vibrations and frequency which all impact treatment outcomes and result in different study findings and effects of treatment for each study.

 As vibration treatments for Parkinson’s Disease become more popular, researchers must continue assessing their effectiveness and safety for patients living with this condition. All future vibration devices for PD should be tested using control groups or sham groups so as to understand whether placebo effects play any part.

 Vibration was first explored for treating Parkinson’s in the 19th century when neurology professor Jean-Martin Charcot discovered that some of his subjects’ symptoms temporarily improved following long, jostling carriage rides. Charcot went on to create vibrating chairs and other devices which temporarily relieved some symptoms; however, these improvements proved only short-lived.

 Stanford Medicine neurobiologist Peter Tass published a paper in Frontiers describing a simple yet effective device to treat Parkinson’s Disease: a lightweight glove attached to a device that produces 250 hertz vibrations through small openings on fingers. Tass and his team observed its effect on tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia (slow body movement) and axial balance among people living with PD who used this glove for three months or longer.

 By conducting both tests and at-rest EEGs, the team was able to demonstrate that gloves reduced abnormal, synchronized brain patterns associated with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) while vibrations were well tolerated. They found that intensity of vibration influenced serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine levels in the hypothalamus but not dopamine; suggesting these brain chemicals may play an essential role in providing benefits of the gloves.

 Researchers are planning larger clinical trials to gauge the glove’s effectiveness against other symptoms associated with Parkinson’s Disease. If their initial findings prove accurate, this device could prove an easy and affordable alternative to medications or deep brain stimulation treatments.

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