• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.209-218
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• 2022

Individuals often report significant relief from pain and stress even after a single session of massage therapy; however, no previous studies have provided objective evidence supporting the effectiveness of a solitary massage therapy session. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of one-time treatment with a spinal thermal massage device reported to exert the same therapeutic effects as massage therapy in terms of pain reduction and stress relief. A man with chronic low back pain (LBP) underwent two rounds of experiments involving spinal massage treatment and bed rest, respectively. Pain was assessed using a visual analog scale, and heart rate variability (HRV) was measured in real-time to examine autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity. Blood samples were obtained at five points during each round of the experiment to examine changes in cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Spinal massage significantly reduced pain and enhanced parasympathetic activity when compared with the bed rest condition. In addition, both epinephrine and norepinephrine levels were lower following spinal massage than following bed rest. These results are consistent with the reported effects of conventional massage therapy and support the effectiveness of one-time treatment using a spinal thermal massage device.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.409-419
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• 2014

This paper proposes a new temperature control algorithm and system configuration of the pTMS(personal Thermal Massage System). By controlling the pulse width of the PWM(Pulse Width Modulation), the temparature of the heating lamp can be controlled stably, which is indispensable to the massage function. This technology is also adapted to the 'thermal massage', 'thermal acupressure', 'thermal moxibustion' functions of medical equipments. The temperature could be set at between $40^{\circ}C{\sim}70^{\circ}C$ by increments of $5^{\circ}C$, the control could be made in real time by increments of $1^{\circ}C$, and the temperature is displayed on the monitor by triggering every 2 seconds. when the present temperature is equal to the preset temperature, the PWM signal is minimized, and when the present temperature is higher than the preset temperature, overheating is prevented by interrupting the PWM output signal. When the difference of temperature exceeds $4^{\circ}C$, the PWM control is maximized in order for the system to reach the target temperature within a short period of time.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.787-797
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to confirm the reduction of pain and symptom relief of Parkinson's disease by vertically stimulating the spine through the application of a mechanical bed capable of thermal and massage stimulation. For this purpose, after confirming the segmental motion of the spine due to the use of a medical combination stimulation bed for Parkinson's disease patients, VAS, ODI, gait ability, and spiral drawing tests were performed, and the relationship between the variables was identified. In the 10-day visual analog scale and evaluation of low back pain dysfunction, the average trend of decreasing after bed use was confirmed. For walking ability, a decrease in the moving time and an increase in the moving distance were observed. In the spiral drawing test, the mean test time after using bed was significantly lower than before. As a result, it suggested the possibility of using it as an auxiliary method for recovery and pain relief of Parkinson's disease patients due to spinal segmental movement with mechanical heating and massage. However, this study is a preliminary study, and there is a small number of subjects, so additional research is needed that considers the number and condition of future subjects in detail.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.879-887
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• 2022

In this study, we tried to confirm whether the mechanical sequential elevation method of the body pressure measuring bed actually induces segmental motion for each part of the spine. To this end, a lateral X-ray examination was performed, and it was confirmed that the sequential pressure device induces a step-wise segmentation of the spine by mechanically lifting each part of the spine vertically. Then, pain, walking ability, and depression scale were measured and analyzed in subjects who were aware of back pain. VAS(p<0.05) and ODI(p<0.05) for 10 days tended to decrease in average after bed use. In the gait ability test(p<0.05), as the number of times of bed use increased, the moving time in the test decreased and the moving distance increased. In addition, GSDDF(p<0.05) decreased after bed use. As a result, it was confirmed that the spinal segmentation caused by the heat and acupressure provided by the bed affected gait and depression as well as pain relief.