A History of Winks Greene’s Transeva

The transeva was used before 1951 when Winks Greene arrived in London and studied under Charles Strong. Strong was a Harley Street specialist physiotherapist, who trained Greene in veterinary physiotherapy. The predecessor of the Winks Greene Transeva was known as the “Strongbox” developed by Strong, based on faradic principles (History of the Transeva, 2012).  

The machine was an original concept that had been predicted to revolutionise the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries. The theoretical application of the machine, which set it apart from other machines, was the ability to pinpoint the location of the injury and then work around it (Stelling, 2002). Originally started on humans to cure polo sporting injuries, later Strong adapted his machine to treat both humans and their horses (Figure 2) (History of the Transeva, 2012). The transeva applies a low current electrical impulse through surface electrodes to the body to supposedly stimulate damaged muscle, increase blood circulation, reduce pain and spasm, break down old scar tissue and promote healing (History of the Transeva, 2012).      

Figure 2: Polo players and their horses

Greene, the daughter of a well-established breeder and owner of horses, later travelled back to South Africa. She continued the use of Strong’s transeva on her equine patients, the most famous being “Gondolier”. After the death of Strong, Greene prompted further advancements to the transeva and its applications (Stelling, 2002). Initially, Greene concentrated her work on sporting injuries, and later progressed to paraplegics, cardiovascular and orthopaedic trauma (History of the Transeva, 2012). Currently the Winks Greene Transeva is being used in Europe and South Africa. It has not yet been integrated into Australian clinical practice.      

However, as previously mentioned the Winks Greene Transeva has had little evidential support and therefore little publication has been written on the origins of the transeva itself. The only publications sourced, spoke more specifically about Winks Greene’s history rather than the development of the transeva. Further blogs will acknowledge the difference between faradic principles and the Winks Greene Transeva, the basis of Strong’s “Strongbox” and Greene’s transeva.

References

Winks Greene Transeva: History of the Transeva. (2002). Retrieved March 24, 2012, from
http://www.winksgreenetranseva.com/History/history.html

Stelling, K. (2002, August 4). Miracle worker: On a remote farm in South Africa, 71-year-old Winks Greene is achieving remarkable results healing crippled horses and injured athletes. The Observer. p.46