[Transcutaneous mechanical vibrations: analgesic effect and antinociceptive mechanisms].

Although vibration has been used empirically for a long time in medicine, it was only about ten years ago that it began to be investigated scientifically. In the first part of this paper, we review the main data showing that vibratory stimulations can relieve both acute and chronic pain. In the second part, we consider the mechanisms responsible for the observed analgesic effects and discuss the nature of the sensory receptors involved and the effects of their activation on the triggering of central pain control systems.