Physics of Shock and Physiological Effects on Biological Systems

Abstract

Shock vibrations from handheld tools have long since been suspected to cause an increased risk of hand-arm vibration syndrome. This paper gives an introduction to its physical origin and transformation of the hand. Also, the pathophysiological effects on biological systems from shock vibration are shown through in vitro models on fibroblasts and red blood cells. Finally, the results from an in vivo rat tail model are described. The results show that high-amplitude shocks with a high-frequency content have a detrimental effect on biological systems, and thereby presumably also have a negative effect on human hand tissue. This indicates the need for a risk estimation for vibration injuries that includes the frequency range of shock vibrations and can quantify their peak amplitudes.

Keywords

• hand-transmitted shock
• vibration
• shock
• isolated shock
• continuous shock physiological effects