Quantitative study of acupuncture manipulation of lifting-thrusting using an needle insertion-measurement system in phantom tissue

Abstract

Quantification, objectification, and standardization of lifting-thrusting manipulation are important issues in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The purpose of this study was to quantitatively investigate the difference in the amount of stimulation according to range and frequency among parameters of lifting-thrusting manipulation with the use of a needle insertion-measurement system. Methods: For quantification of lifting-thrusting manipulation, an acupuncture needle insertion-measurement system was used in phantom tissue. The motor and force sensors of the needle insertion device were connected to the control software. This enabled operation of the lifting-thrusting manipulation and measurement of the acupuncture needle force. The measurement of the acupuncture needle force according to various frequencies (0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1 Hz) and ranges of movement (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 mm) was repeated 10 times. Results: At a constant frequency of movement, acupuncture needle force according to range of movement (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 mm) increased with increasing range of movement (p < 0.05). At a constant range of movement, acupuncture needle force according to frequency of movement (0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.0 Hz) increased with increasing frequency of movement (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In this study, we conducted a quantitative comparison of the amount of stimulation according to range and frequency, the main parameters of lifting-thrusting manipulation, by using an acupuncture needle insertion-measurement system. Future studies on various manipulations and parameters are warranted to quantify and objectify the amounts of stimulation by acupuncture manipulation.

Trends in Acupuncture Training Research: Focus on Practical Phantom Models

“…Liu et al [33] used a training method of identifying needle manipulation through a back-propagation neural network with acupuncture force data output from a high-precision pressure sensor. There were 4 articles which entailed phantom-based quantitative measurements, and the phantoms used varied (Table 4) [42][43][44][45]. In 3 Korean articles [42][43][44], needle force with respect to amplitude and frequency was measured with a 6-axis force sensor using the lifting-thrusting technique, while needle force with respect to rotation angle and frequency was measured using the twirling technique.…”

“…There were 4 articles which entailed phantom-based quantitative measurements, and the phantoms used varied (Table 4) [42][43][44][45]. In 3 Korean articles [42][43][44], needle force with respect to amplitude and frequency was measured with a 6-axis force sensor using the lifting-thrusting technique, while needle force with respect to rotation angle and frequency was measured using the twirling technique. The variables affecting needle force were needle diameter, amplitude, and frequency for the lifting-thrusting technique, and angle for the twirling technique.…”

Stimulation Parameters of Manual Acupuncture and Their Measurement

“…The “Acupuncture Manipulation Metrology” proposed by Shi [31] has defined four major stimulation elements (parameters) of MA, including force direction, force magnitude, manipulation time, and time interval between treatments, some recommended combinations of treatment elements were also provided for clinical practice. Due to the different movement characteristics, some scholars regarded that the main stimulation parameters for the lifting-thrusting method and twirling method are “insertion depth, frequency, and duration” [32] and “rotation angle, frequency, and duration” [33, 34, respectively. In terms of the force parameters, Fangjie et al [35] proposed 3 types of force generated by the fingers operating the needle handle (lifting-thrusting force, twirling force, and swing force), which control the needle to make up-and-down, rotational, and swing motion accordingly.…”

Traditional Acupuncture Meets Modern Nanotechnology: Opportunities and Perspectives

“…Some efforts have been made to attempt to solve the problem. The force sensor (Nano-17 titanium) was attached to the acupuncture needle, and various rotation frequencies or lifting-thrusting movements were measured after acupuncture needle inserting in phantom tissue [64, 65]. While maybe it would be better to use the nanosensor which was connected to the tip of acupuncture needle; in that case, the real force and the amount of stimulation inside the tissue could be measured.…”