The Drummer Boys’ Unlikely Remedy: How Civil War Rhythm Paved the Way for Vibration Therapy
In the annals of history, there are tales that straddle the line between fact and folklore. One such story emerges from the American Civil War; a time of great suffering, scant medical supplies, and extraordinary improvisation. Amidst the chaos of battlefield hospitals, it is said that drummer boys, those young lads who led troops into battle with cadence, found themselves with a second, rather unexpected duty.
According to the tale, when morphine and other anaesthetics were in short supply, drummer boys were asked to beat firmly on the stumps of amputees. Kept at a steady, specific tempo, the vibrations appeared to ease their pain. What we now understand as an interruption of pain signals to the brain was, at the time, a simple expedient that gave wounded soldiers a measure of relief.
What is fascinating is how this piece of folklore dovetails with what we now understand scientifically. The concept that a non-painful stimulus, like vibration at a pre-set frequency, can help to block or reduce the sensation of pain is well-grounded in modern pain management theory. Today’s vibration therapy devices are a far cry from the improvised drumming of a young soldier, but the underlying idea, that rhythm and vibration can block pain, is much the same.
